Wild World
by Octopus123
Summary: Johnny Cade wants more than humid summers and purple bruises. Dallas Winston wants liquor, sex, and violence. Elizabeth Carter wants serenity back in her hurricane life. But the east-side of Tulsa only takes, so they better prepare themselves to fight for it. Dallas/OC
1. Primadonna Girl

1.

The first time the boys laid eyes on her, she was doing a rotten job at parking her car in the driveway two doors down. It was an ugly green machine she was handling, though it could also be described as red, seeing as most of it was rust. The sound of its wheezing and clunking had lured the Curtis brothers, Two-Bit and Steve from the semi-coolness of the house and into the fireball heat.

"Shit," Steve mumbled, sticking his head out the window. "Worst car I ever laid eyes on."

Sodapop, who was standing on the porch with the rest of them, nodded. "And we've seen Two-Bit's car, so that's sayin' something."

Two-Bit put on an overdone frown. "You keep talking like that, and you'll be walking to the DX from now on."

Darry folded his thick arms over his chest. "Can you see who's driving?"

His curiosity was soon sated. A woman tumbled out, looking like the biggest and snottiness Soc they'd ever come across. Clothed in a high-necked, red dress that was hemmed just at the knee, her face was disguised behind giant sunglasses and a wide-rimmed, floppy hat.

"Looks like some city-slicker." Ponyboy stated, stepping down the porch steps so he could get a better look. "But what she doing on this side of the tracks?"

"She's gotta be lost." Steve made a show out of smoothing his hair back with his pocket comb. "Maybe I outa' redirect her."

Two-Bit snorted. "If you go up to that broad, the only person you'll be directing is yourself, to the hospital. Look at that fat purse she's holding there. I'd eat my shoe if there ain't a brick stashed beside all her money."

They watched the woman totter up the steps of the house she had pulled up to. It wasn't such a bad place, but the paint was peeling badly, one of the windows had been smashed in and had been boarded up half-assedly, and the lawn resembled a wheat field. What it looked like inside, no one had a clue. The house hadn't been touched for years, though it was never put up for sale either. What a privileged rich lady wanted to do with it was a mystery.  
Fiddling with a set of keys, she finally managed to shove the door open with the force of her shoulder, disappearing inside. The boys waited in anticipation.

"What do you think she's doing in there?" Steve asked. They couldn't think of any plausible answers.  
Then she came back out, sans purse and shoes, and without bothering to shut the door behind her. Hurrying back to the car to open the passenger door, she ducked in and allowed an arm to snake over her shoulders. When she straightened, an elderly lady was clinging onto her.

"Do you suppose she's here to dump that old grandma for dead in some abandoned house?" Two-bit asked.

Steve readjusted himself on the ledge of the window."You'd think a Soc like that would have enough cash to ditch her in an old-folk's home instead."

The woman swayed unsteadily under human weight as she dragged the both of them back inside. Moments later, she was out once more to let two big dogs out from the backseat. One was a Rottweiler with a massive muzzle and half his right ear chewed off, walking like it weighed a million tons. The other was a breed none of the boys could distinguish. But even from the distance, they could tell this one was in much better shape. It's shiny white coat was cut short to reveal a lean, sprightly body and it's face was clean and friendly. Both dogs took a minute to sniff the air and stretch their legs on the pavement before following their master into the house, the lady's arms filled with bags.

"Well holy shit." Two-Bit guffawed, "Those mutts were so big, they probably ate the rest of their litter in the womb."

"Guard dogs, by the looks of it." Darry muttered, turning to find cooler air back in the kitchen. If those two women were staying in that house, then he would be relieved. Having some new greaser boy move in and cause trouble in the neighborhood was the last thing he needed.  
The rest of the gang wandered back inside after it had been made clear the Soc wasn't going to reappear for a while. Soda and Steve dropped themselves onto the kitchen table where they had abandoned their card game, Ponyboy slipped back inside his room, Two-Bit parked in front of the television with a beer, and Darry laid himself across the couch for a nap.

"Really though," Sodapop spoke up conversationally, "What's a Soc doing, moving to this side of the town?"

Steve picked up a card, tried to hide his scowl, and placed it in his hand. "Maybe she ran outta money, who knows?"

"Maybe she got kicked outta her big old mansion for cheating on her husband."

They played in silence for a little longer, occasionally making a guess or two on the mysterious new neighbor.

Three hours later, Two-Bit came charging in, looking wired. "That's it, I can't take this anymore. I need to find out what that lady's deal is."

"Two-Bit," Sodapop dropped his cards face down on the table. "Just admit you wanna check her out."

"Fine, fine." The boy grinned unabashedly, "Can't blame me for trying to get laid, can you?" He passed the boys and opened the icebox.

"Darry's gunna kill you if you finish all the beer again, ya' know." Sodapop warned him, twisting in his seat. Steve took the opportunity to check out his friend's cards while his back was turned.

Two-Bit took out a chocolate cake with at least three pieces missing. "Do you think this'll work as a housewarming gift?"

"You gunna give her a half eaten cake?"

"Shoot, why not?" Two-Bit paused to steady the treat in his hand, having almost dropped it. "Just need an opportunity to see her face."

The boy charged out of the house. Sodapop and Steve glanced at each other before running after him, calling for Darry and Ponyboy to come along as well. "Were gunna go see this Soc!"

Five minutes later, the gang was huddled on the pavement, a few inches away from the front gate of the woman's house. The two dogs had come racing over from the backyard the moment Two-Bit's finger had touched the gate latch. The white dog was barking up a storm, jumping so high that they thought it might sink its teeth into one of their faces. The Rottweiler hung back, standing tense and flashing his thick fangs at them.

The old woman came onto the porch, a cane supporting her. "Shut your mouth, Lady, else I'll shut it for you!"

The white dog ceased its ruckus immediately and took a step back, eyeing them wearily. Then they both lost interest and left to sit in the shade by the side of the house.

"You just gunna stand there, or are you going ta' come up here?" The crone gave them an impatient look. "By this pace, the time you pansies find the courage to move I'll be dead in my grave."

Sodapop made a low groaning sound in his throat, voicing everyone's thoughts. Suddenly meeting the Soc family didn't seem so exciting.

"Hello ma'am." Two-Bit began, trying hard to be charming. "We're just here-"

"To get a good look at my granddaughter." The old woman finished for him. She dumped herself in an ancient rocking chair that had been on the porch before they arrived. She waved her hand absentmindedly at the screen door. "Don't think I don't know boys your type. She's in there. But don't get your hopes up. She's nothing but obnoxious."

The boys exchanged looks before shuffling awkwardly past the woman and into the house. Inside, it wasn't too awful. The rooms were small, smelled like mildew, and was bare of any furniture, but it would take very little to spruce the place up.

"Hey strangers." A creamy voice echoed across the room. The woman was leaning on the kitchen doorway to their right, only she wasn't a woman at all, but a girl of sixteen or seventeen. Outside, her cosmopolitan outfit and hidden face had made her look years older. But in the cool grey light _inside_, the mystery and intrigue she held had evaporated. She was small and naive-looking, and when she walked she looked like she was tempted to skip. Her brunette hair and grey eyes didn't make her particularly gorgeous (disappointing Two-Bit greatly) but she was by no means ugly. And her easy smile and kind, open eyes seemed to enhance her enough to be beautiful in the way all happy people are.

After an awkward pause where the boys took her all in, Darry stuck out his hand and struggled to smile. "Hello there. We're just here to welcome you to the neighborhood. I'm Darryl, these two are my brothers, Sodapop and Ponyboy. Over there is Steve and Keith."

"You can call me Two-Bit." Two-Bit inserted quickly, passing the cake into her hands. "Here's some cake."

"Oh, yum!" The girl seemed truly excited at the sight of it. She even giggled at the missing pieces. "Did you guys get hungry on the way over, or something?" She moved to place it on the kitchen counter. "Well, my name is Elizabeth Carter, but you can just call me Ellie."

Even her name screamed Soc.

"Well, Ellie, what brings you to this side of town?" Steve asked impatiently.

There was a wave of confusion on her face. "Well, um, I moved here from Chicago-"

"Chicago?" Ponyboy repeated excitedly, "Really?"

Ellie nodded just as enthusiastically. "Yeah! But grandma, you met her right? Well she grew up here and wanted to come back."

"It was a hard choice to make." Ellie's grandmother trekked her way slowly into the room, forcing the boys to part for her. "Either I die in _that_ shithole of a city, or I die in _this_ shithole of a city." She turned on the tap and brown water came spewing out. The crone sighed. "But what can I say? I'm just so sentimental."

Ellie seemed to be adept at ignoring her grandmother's sarcasm. She patted the woman affectionately on the back. "Oh granny, you aren't going to die just yet, don't worry." She turned to the boys. "This is Grandma Annabelle. She's really a sweetheart."

The boys spent another twenty minutes making obligatory small talk before they managed to excuse themselves. Even afterwards, they still couldn't understand why Ellie, who seemed to ooze a sense of privilege, could possibly find herself living in greaser territory with a grandmother that didn't have a Soc bone in her body.

"Well holy moly." Two-Bit lit up a smoke. "I'll give her a week in this place. Not only does she reek of Soc, but she's as soft and nice as a basket of kittens."

"Jeez," Steve rubbed the side of his head, "And does she ever shut up?"

"I'm more concerned about other things." Sodapop said as they reached the house. "Like how were going to have to make a new cake and were all out of flour."

**Ey yo. I know it's not very interesting yet, or very long. But I haven't written or published a fic in years and I'm just trying to get into the groove again. The first few chapters will be a little short and possibly unsatisfying but bear with me please… I promise it'll improve. Ill try updating every week.**

**Reviews are most appreciated. **


	2. Dustland Fairytale (Beginning)

2.

Elizabeth Carter spent the rest of that night diligently cleaning the house. Her grandmother kept herself sparse, only appearing to demand her room be cleaned first.

"You'll be getting us furniture tomorrow, girl." The woman wobbled on her cane. "And don't cheap out. God knows you have all that money, and you outta get rid of it as soon as possible. And those clothes, as well, girl. This ain't Chicago anymore. You can't wear that kind of shit on this side of the tracks."

Elizabeth just nodded and ignored her grandmother as she muttered her way up the stairs again. She had been confused when those boys had asked her what she was doing on this side of town, but after a few hours of scrubbing the floors and getting dust all over her, she understood. Standing in the bathroom to wash her hands, she looked up to see a metropolitan completely out of her element. Her professionally painted nails had been chipped and dirt had gathered underneath, her dress was ruined by dirty water and a bit of blood when she cut her forearm on a sharp counter corner, and her once styled hair was sitting, deflated on her head. Then she imagined the group of boys in her living room, dust ingrained in their jeans and their hair slick with grease- it was so...rural. But what could she do about it? Nothing, really. She couldn't picture herself clad in anything but funky designs and bright colors.

For dinner they ate the cake. Without any plates or utensils, they were forced to eat it uncut and by pealing little bits off with their hands. Then Ellie made a long list of all the things they needed; beds, toiletries, and kitchenware were the first written. After her grandmother had retired upstairs to sleep in the cocoon of blankets and sleeping bags she had made for herself, Ellie went to let the dogs out to do their business on the block and take more bags from the car. She watched them carefully and made sure they kept in her line of vision. Not because she was scared they'd run off or bite someone, because her father had trained them good and right, but because she knew others would be intimidated if they saw a giant dog stalking down the street. When they came back, she put them in the yard and slid inside the backseat of the car. It was full of dog-hair and cramped, but her grandmother had taken all the blankets and it would be as good as it got for Ellie that night.

She slept fitfully, as she often did since she left Chicago. But when the sun began to rise she got up in the front seat and drove to a diner. Ignoring the fact that she looked a mess, Ellie stalked in with a smile, buying two coffees and and breakfasts to go.

"Coffee don't do well with my bowels." Her grandmother snapped when she came back. "You hurry up and eat that breakfast, then buy our damn furniture. If I have to sleep on the ground again, I'll break my back."  
Ellie could clearly remember herself sleeping in the backseat of their car, but apologized anyway because arguing with the woman always ended up with a quick slap to the back of the head and a string of cusses. She fed half her breakfast to the dogs and got dressed without showering, still distrustful of the quality of water spewing out of their plumbing.

It took her thirty minutes to find a grocery store. Most of the streets she encountered were shabby, some even giving off the appearance of being abandoned. When Ellie had first laid eyes on her own house she was embarrassed at the grimy state it had fallen into, but now she could see it fit in just fine here. Yet, past a set of train tracks, the houses seemed to improve and the streets grew with life. It wasn't like Ellie had never seen the difference between high class and low class before, but in Tulsa the divide seemed as clear as day. You were either poor, or wealthy. What _she_ was, she couldn't tell.

The store she stumbled upon was in the richer side of town. Ellie made quick work of parking her bag-of-bolts between two new cars and grabbing a grocery cart. Having rid herself of her vehicle, she blended in easily with the crowd inside and was greeted with the feel of strong AC breeze, drying the sweat on her neck.

"Now..." Ellie mumbled, suddenly intimidated by the long rows of goods. "Where do I start?"

In truth, she had never gone grocery shopping by herself before. Sure she had gone with her mother dozens of times, but being alone seemed much more daunting. What if she blew all her money on junk food? Or what if her grandmother didn't like what she picked? That was the thing she hated most about up and leaving her family- independence wasn't her strongest trait.

"Well if it ain't the Soc!"

Ellie jumped at the sound of someone shouting across the isle she was in. At the other end, three boys started their way over.

"Oh!" Ellie made sure to smile nice and big at them. "Uh, Sodapop and Ponyboy, right?"

Sodapop nodded and smiled back at her. "You remembered."

She forced herself not to blush. Sodapop was likely one of the most handsome boys she'd ever met. Something about his dirty blonde hair and friendly smile reminded her of the big-city. And though Ponyboy was a few years too young for her tastes, she could see a strong resemblance between the brothers. There was no doubting he'd be as cute, perhaps ever cuter, than Soda.

"Well, you boys do have unforgettable names." She turned to smile at the third boy. He had a tan face and shaggy black hair that was greased up in the way that seemed fashionable here. "Hi, I'm Elizabeth Carter. I'm new here."  
The boy nodded, staring past her face when he introduced himself. "Johnny Cade."

Ellie sensed there was a bit of reluctance in his voice that made Ellie anxious. She looked down with a queasy grin, spotting a sack of flour dangling from Sodapop's hand. "Are you going grocery shopping as well?"

"Nah," Sodapop told her, "Just ran out of flour. We go through this stuff like water through a tap."

"Oh." Ellie felt a little disappointed. She wouldn't have minded some company after spending so long with only her grandmother and dogs. "Well, I'll let you go on then. I've got to grab the whole nine yards. We didn't bring anything to Tulsa with us, so I'm gonna have to buy furniture as well. Do you know any places I could go for that?"

Soda hummed in thought. "Well, there's one on Northway road, just beside that car dealership. Don't know how good the prices are, though."

"That don't matter so much. But... well, how do I get there?"

"From here? Go left on the main road, I think... Then on Harvey, turn right and go straight 'til-"

He noticed the confusion on her face and smiled sheepishly. "Maybe it'll be better if I draw you a map."

"Oh, if it won't be such an inconvenience." Ellie tucked a hair behind her ear. "I'm really bad at directions."

Sodapop looked around the isle and they came to the conclusion that acquiring some paper and a pencil would be impossible at the moment.

"Why don't you just show her?" Ponyboy inserted, "It's only a few minutes away."

Soda shook his head. "I can't. I've gotta be at the DX in half an hour..." A twinkle sparked in his eyes as he looked over at his brother. "But you can go, can't you boys?"

Both of their eyes widened into saucers. Ponyboy shot Sodapop a frustrated look.

Ellie had perked up. "Oh, please? I'll treat you both to lunch afterwards, I promise. Anything you like, too."

Sodapop patted Johnny and Ponyboy on the back roughly. "Well, it's settled. Take good care of her, boys. I'll see you back home tonight."

Ellie watched, slightly confused, as Sodapop sprinted away with laughter bubbling up in his throat. "Is he alright?"

"No." Ponyboy dead-panned. "No, definitely not."

"Uhm, well." Evie plastered on another smile. "You sure you boys don't mind helping me out today?"

They looked at each other and then nodded. "Nah, we'll help."

Johnny and Ponyboy followed her around the grocery store for another hour, chatting on and off. From what she could tell, they were really quiet boys but Ellie made up for it by constantly talking. After that, they took her to the furniture store. She tried to pry their opinions on colours and wood-types, but they didn't budge.

"Who cares if it matches, anyway? It's just to sit on." Ponyboy grumbled, dropping himself into one of the display sofas and getting yelled at the saleswoman for it.

"Yeah, but I want my house to look pretty. I can't do that if I've got clashing colours."

Johnny scoffed. "Girls."

"It's not just a girl thing!" Ellie defended. She shot him a playful look. "Don't think I haven't noticed that your shoes match your shirt, Johnny Cade."

Johnny shrugged, his ears red. "Whatever."

Ponyboy laughed.

"Ok ok, what do you think about this one?" Ellie pointed to a boxy couch with navy upholstery and mahogany lining. "It's kind of cute, isn't it?"

They stood there staring at it critically.

"It's so..." Ponyboy started.

Johnny finished his sentence for him. "Soc."

Ellie groaned and looked up at the rafters above them, searching for some self-control. "Are you literally just making words up now?"

"Soc is short for Social." Ponyboy explained. "That's what we call the kids that live west of the tracks, in the rich area."

Ellie nibbled on her lip thoughtfully. "Then what are we called?"

"Greasers." Johnny answered, "But not you. You're not a greaser."

"Am I a Soc, then?"

"Well, you sure dress like it. And if you're paying for nice furniture like this, then you gotta have the money as well." Ponyboy said.

"Hm..." Ellie wanted to ask more, but she could feel both boys begin to shrink back and distance themselves from her. The topic seemed to upset them, that's for sure. She gave the couch a sullen look. "Maybe it's not right for the house."

Half an hour later, Ellie paid for the furniture and ordered it to be delivered tomorrow morning. Her grandmother would be upset about the long wait, but there was nothing Ellie could do.

"Okay. Where's the best place to grab a bite?" She asked as they crossed the parking lot.

"We can go to The Dingo." Ponyboy suggested, lighting a smoke.

Ellie thought he was too young to smoke, but didn't say anything out loud.

Johnny shook his head. "Might be kind of rough for a girl like her, Pony."

"Why? What happens there?" Ellie asked as she slid into the drivers seat. Ponyboy slipped into the backseat while Johnny took shotgun.

"It's not so bad. Just the occasional fight. The foods pretty good, though. And everyone goes there."

Ellie smiled. "Doesn't sound so awful. Where to?"

They lead her back past the tracks, into Greaser territory. The diner was actually a short distance from the house- a fifteen minute walk, at most. They got out of the car, taking a moment to hang out in the parking lot so Johnny and Ponyboy could greet some of the kids they knew. They weren't kidding when they said the place was rough. Groups of boys, their hair all greased and their shoes scuffed up to hell, were hanging around the cars. They were either eyeing each other for potential fights, or eyeing the short-skirt girls wandering past.

Ellie only got the stink eye, so she tugged lightly on Ponyboy's sleeve and pointed to the diner. "Can we go in now?"

He smirked at her but complied. "Thought you said you could handle it?"

"I said no such thing." Ellie told him, sticking her nose up indignantly. "I only said this place didn't sound awful."

Ponyboy and Johnny squeezed themselves into one side of a booth and Ellie took the other side.

"Can I take your orders?" A waitress asked. The woman was frowning sternly, her eyes lined with bags. She looked tired, but then again, almost everyone on this side of town looked tired.

Ellie nodded at the boys and they ordered shakes and burgers. Ellie followed suit.

"What's it like in Chicago?" Johnny asked.

Ellie glanced out the window at two greaser boys riling each other up. "Different. Different then here, I guess." She looked back at him with a little laugh. "And less hot."

Ponyboy leaned back in his seat. "What's so different?"

"It's just..." Ellie shrugged. "The atmosphere, you know? And we don't have this Soc and Greaser thing that you have here. I mean, its not like we don't have the divide, but... it's less... important? Plus, this city is so small. I bet it'll take me less than an hour to get from one side of town to the other."

"Man, I wanna go see a big city like that... Dally said we'll go to New York one day." Johnny sighed and Two-Bit, appearing out of thin air, slapped his shoulder enthusiastically.

"Dally wouldn't get a mile outta Tulsa before Sylvia drags him back by his-" His eyes landed on Ellie and he faltered, "Ears?"

Ellie smiled at him. "Keith, right? I mean, Two-Bit."

Two-Bit invited himself to sit down beside her. Ellie tried not to blush when his shoulder pressed up against hers. She'd never hung out with so many boys before. Her father had made sure of that. But her big o' daddy wasn't here to protect her anymore, was he? Not that she was going to get herself into trouble, that is.

"Now, what's a rascal like you doin', harassing these fine young gentlemen?" He asked with a wink.

Ellie struggled not to smile. Damn, if Two-Bit didn't stop cracking jokes like that, she just might have to find herself some trouble. "I'm trying to pick them up, can't you tell?"

"She's telling us 'bout Chicago." Ponyboy interrupted, flashing them a look. "And we're telling her 'bout Socs and Greasers."

"Ah, my favourite topic." Two-Bit sat up straight and fixed her with a look that made her feel like she was being interviewed. "Let's not beat around the bush. Us boys wanna know what a Soc could possibly be doin', hanging out, buying a home in Greaser territory."

"Uh..." Ellie shrugged, feeling stupid. "Well, the house has always belonged to my grandmother, before they moved to Chicago."

"What about your mum and dad?" Ponyboy asked, "They still in Chicago?"

An awkward moment ensued where Ponyboy flushed and looked as if he had spoken without thinking. Ellie tried to pay it no mind, chatting away eagerly. "My dad and older brother's still there, last time I checked. Mumsie went off with my baby brother to live with her own mom in Washington. Oh, don't look so uncomfortable, Ponyboy. They didn't split, or anything. Dad just has some problems with his business, so mum left to give him less to stress over. Then grandma started going on about wanting to go back home before she keels over, and dad figured I best go with her until things settle down in Chicago." She took a breath. "But I don't think grandma's gonna die anytime soon. Daddy always says she's so stubborn she'd survive the rapture."

"What's your dad's business?" Ponyboy asked.

"Oh." Ellie wracked her brain. "Something in sales? I uh... I don't know."

Ponyboy raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't know what your dad does?"

"Well I've asked." Ellie defended, "But dad just tells me to worry about other things. Like school. But personally, I don't know why I even bother with education. I don't really need it to be a house-wife, do I? That's what I'm going to end up as, anyway." She grinned sheepishly, "Don't have the brains to be anything else."

The waitress came back with their food. But instead of leaving to attend to other costumers, she shot Two-Bit a scathing look. "Aren't you supposed to be at home, fixing our screen door?"

Two-Bit shrugged and set her with a cheeky smile. "Well, if it ain't my darling sister. Have you met Ellie? She's new here."

The waitress glanced disdainfully at Ellie. "I can tell she's new. Everyone in the damn _building_ can tell she's new."

She made to turn. "Keith, you better stop foolin' round with some Soc and get home. That door better be fixed by the end of my shift."

Two-Bit groaned and sunk into his seat. "Damn. She gives me more grief in one day than my mother has in five years."

"She's pretty." Ellie commented. "Looks like you."

"Really?" He pretended to flip hair over his shoulder. "You calling me pretty, too?"

Ponyboy laughed. "Shucks, you're the prettiest girl in the room, Keitha."

A boy came sauntering over, a smoke burning in his mouth. "This has got to be the weirdest conversation I've ever walked in on."

Ponyboy cocked his head towards the boy. "Ellie, this is Dallas Winston. We just call him Dally."

Dallas was built strong with high cheekbones and white-blonde hair. When he caught Ellie's gaze, she had the distinct impression that she was being hunted down by some big animal. She looked down instinctively. "Nice to meet you."

Dally made a noise in the back of his throat to acknowledge her before turning to Johnny. "Heard your parents at it again when I passed by looking for ya'. Probably best to keep out tonight."

Johnny nodded and held up his plate. He'd finished his burger but most of his fries were still there. "Want some?"

"Nah." Dally smirked and took some from Ponyboy's plate. "You're too small to be given' other people your food, Johnnycake."

"Hey!" Ponyboy tried to slap Dally's hand away. "I'm just as skinny, you know."

"Both you boys ought ta' bulk up." Two-Bit told them as he stole his own fistful of fries. "Or how else is Darry gonna let you come on rumbles?"

Ellie's eyebrow rose. "What's a rumble?"

"Where are you from?" Dallas asked skeptically, "Under a rock?"

"She's from Chicago, Dally." Johnny looked eagerly between them. "Dally used to live in New York."

"Is that so?" Dallas' tone was mocking and Ellie grew frustrated at herself for not being able to look him in the eye. God, why was he so intimidating?

"New York? You don't look like a New Yorker." She managed to spit out, though she was sure he had to strain his ears just to hear it.

"Yeah?" He seemed like he was trying not to bite down on his cigarette. "Well you look like a city-slicker. One of the rich kinds too. A perfect Soc. But you're on the wrong side of town, kiddo. You lost?"

The air around them grew heavy.

"Moved in next door to the Curtis'." Two-Bit interjected. "We'll make a greaser girl outa her yet."

Ellie tried an easy smile, ignoring the heat of Dally's eyes on her face. "What would that entail, exactly?"

"Well..." Two-Bit leaned back and gave her a sleazy look. "You got any shorter skirts?"

"You ever swear?" Johnny asked.

Ponyboy made a face. "Or wear a lot of that black crud girls out on their eyes?"

Ellie blinked. "Uh... No to all of the above?"

"Soc." Dally repeated. "Through and through."

Ellie crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, what's so bad about being a Soc, anyway?"

There was a series of groans around the table.

"All they are are rich, snobby bastards that get a kick outa coming over here I'm their souped-up cars, rolling kids. And they don't even get a slap on the wrist for it either. They could _kill_ a greaser and I wouldn't be surprised if they got an award for it." Two-Bit slung his arm over the booth seat and shifted restlessly. His expression was sour and he looked ready for a fight. Dally scuffed the linoleum floor and stared moodily out the window, jaw locked.

"They can't all be so bad, can they?" Ellie asked quietly.

Ponyboy shrugged. "They'd lock us all up and steamroll our houses to the ground, if they could. We're nothing- worth nothing... Not to them. Just a bunch of dirty hoods."

She licked her lips nervously, watching how the light of the sun glittered through her half-empty milkshake. "Well, I don't think I want to be a Soc, then."

Johnny shook his head. "That's the thing. You don't get to choose."

* * *

**I posted early because either i'm an attention whore that feeds off reviews or because I'm celebratory-posting 'cause I got a job. Either way, here you go. A little longer, right? And a bit more interesting, I hope. I know nothing GREAT has occurred yet, but the first few chapters are going to be about creating friendships and developing them first. Also, a wild Dally appears in this, so that's exciting, right? First impressions and such. Grandma's a little less sassy and more bitchy in this chapter, but i'll try to think of more witty lines for her. Anyway, the point is, it's Monday, so technically it's the next week.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews and such! They mean so much! Feel free to give helpful criticism as well! Actually, I encourage it!**


	3. Trouble

3.

Ellie stepped up into the full length mirror and growled. What was she thinking, wearing that skirt with that blouse? It didn't even match her hair! Rushing back to her wardrobe, she pulled out an emerald frock dress and threw herself into it. This time she skipped the mirror. It was the fifth outfit change in half an hour and if she kept it up she'd be late for her first day at school.

Her grandmother was sitting on the couch downstairs, fixed on the television screen.

"It's my first day at school, grandma." Ellie presented herself at the foot of the sofa. She gave a little twirl. "How do I look?"

The old woman turned her head and gave Ellie a once over before dismissing her. "What did I tell you about those clothes, girl? You're just asking for trouble."

Ellie smoothed her hands over the fabric nervously. "Is... Is it too short?"

The woman _tisk_-ed roughly and waved her hand. "Stop standing there and make breakfast!"

After eating, Ellie tied her hair in pigtails, brushed her teeth, slipped on a pair of black kitten heals, and pulled out two raw steaks for the dogs.

The morning sun hit her strongly as she stepped into the yard but there was a strong breeze to soften the blow. The exterior of her house still needed a good paint job and the fence needed replacing. But at least the lawn had been cut. With great difficulty on Ellie's part, that was sure. If only her big brother was here. And her mother too... She wouldn't have let Ellie fret about her outfit.

"Hello lovelies." She greeted her dogs, scratching Lady's head affectionately. "Are you hungry?"

"Huh."

Ellie almost dropped the meat in her hand. Dallas and Johnny were standing just behind her fence.

Dally let his eyes wander down her figure before passing his smoke to Johnny. "Didn't think you could look any more Soc, but I was wrong."

"You coming to school today, Ellie?" Johnny asked. It had been two weeks since Ellie had moved here, and she was proud to say that Johnny had relaxed around her since their first meeting. Or, at least he had stopped looking at her like she had rabies.

"Yeah." She made a face, "But I'd rather not. First days are always the worst."

Johnny smiled reassuringly and passed the smoke back to Dally. "Don't worry, you can stick by me, Ponyboy, and Two-Bit."

She readjusted the steak so it wouldn't drip blood down her arm. "Wait, that's it? I thought Sodapop and Steve were sixteen, like me.

"Most of us dropped out." Dally explained, eyeing Ellie's Rottweiler. It bared its teeth at him but Ellie didn't seem to notice.

"Wow, really?" She looked over towards the Curtis' house to see Ponyboy hurrying out of the front door. "My brother dropped out of school, once. The next day he was re-enrolled. My dad wouldn't have it. Said he'd hand over the family business to me if my brother didn't smarten up. Thank god he did, 'cause there's no way I'd waste my time with boring office stuff like that."

"What's that dog's name?" Dallas asked suddenly. It was clear he hadn't heard a word Ellie was saying.

"That's Lord, and the Kuvasz is Lady. That's what I call them, anyways. Their real names are a bit too... vulgar."

Dally leaned over the fence and whistled. "Here, Lord."

"Maybe you shouldn't-" Ellie started, but Dally only shot her a look.

"I handle bulls in the rodeo. I think I can handle one dumb dog."

Johnny crossed his arms over his chest and nodded at Ponyboy as he arrived beside them. "So what's their real names?"

When the Rottweiler didn't budge, Dallas stuck his hand over the fence, snapped his fingers, and tried again. "Here boy!"

Lord and Lady vaulted themselves at him, snapping and snarling, hoping to get a mouthful of exposed arm. Ellie never saw a man jump back so fast.

She cast a smug smile at the boys and tucked a hair behind her ear. "Hunter and Killer."

As much as Ellie hated school, she loved it as well. It was better than sitting at home with her grandmother. And the exposure to more girls was refreshing. Making friends wasn't so difficult for her, either. Though shy in nature, Ellie was used to being forced out of her comfort zone with all the mixers she attended with her mother. Small talk- or talking in general- was Ellie's best talent.

She had English with Johnny first block, then a Pre-Calc class involving a pop-quiz. By lunch she had made a few new acquaintances, but none of them had invited her to eat with them. And she was sort of glad for it. The familiarity of the boys sounded better than having to watch her every step with new people. Not that the boys were old friends, but they were so open and laid back that Ellie didn't feel like she needed to worry around them.

They were lounging on top the hood of a car in the back parking lot.

"Well, if it isn't our little Soc." Two-Bit smiled and scooted over so she could sit down. "I'm surprised your own kind hasn't snatched you up and lead you away yet."

"I met a couple of girls, actually." Ellie told them, setting her books down on her lap. "They were nice enough. Do you know Marcia? She has short brown hair... And this other girl... Alice, I think. She was nice, but Marcia was funnier."

Johnny gave Ponyboy a knowing smile. "Oh, Ponyboy knows Alice, don't you, Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy looked down at his sneakers. "Shut up, Johnny. No I don't."

"Awe, Ponyboy!" Two-Bit almost fell off the car laughing. "Little Pony's crushing on a Soc!"

"No I'm not!" Ponyboy jumped off the hood. "And you shouldn't be saying anything about girls, Two-Bit! Lord knows how long you've been trying to pin down Kathy!"

"Actually," The older boy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "Kathy, as of three weeks ago, has been...eh... caught."

Ellie jumped down as well, setting her books in her vacant seat. "And that's my cue to go to the bathroom. Watch my books, will you?"

Weaving through the cars, Ellie couldn't help but notice that she was spotting more greaser kids in the back parking lot than she had the whole day. In fact, most of the kids in her class had been Socs.

The closest restroom was just past the back doors. It was small, with only three stalls and two sinks. It didn't look like it had been cleaned in a while, with graffiti marking up every and all surface and a mirror smashed, little bits of it scattered across the counter. The girls inside didn't seem to mind, however. A group of four, they pushed and shoved for supremacy over the one good mirror. One of the girls was Two-Bit's sister.

Trying not to interrupt them, Ellie shuffled to the cleanest stall and did her business. She was hoping when she came out they would be gone, but that wasn't the case.

"Excuse me..." She mumbled politely, but her voice was trampled under their screeching voices.

"Evie, move the fuck over! You're going to make me mess up my eyeliner!" One girl growled, her hair as black as midnight and her eyes already done up. Ellie didn't think she needed anymore eyeliner, but what did she know? All she had on her face was a single layer of mascara and that was only because she was trying to make a good first impression today.

"Just let me finish my hair, goddamn it." Another girl, Evie, paused to wave her comb threateningly at Two-Bit's sister. "If you shove me one more time, Penny, I swear to you I will sign you up for football. Are you half-man, or something? Jesus."

"Excuse me!" Ellie cried out a little louder. "Can I please wash my hands?"

The girl with black hair twisted around and gave Ellie a withering stare. "Oh, I'm sorry princess. Are we in the way? We better move, right girls? And somebody better roll out the red carpet, too."

Ellie shrunk back. "I'll only be a minute."

The girls parted and Ellie washed her hands, her heart beating loudly in the now silent room. Why was she so scared? She came from Chicago, for Christ's sake! She should be able to handle a few catty girls.

"You're that Soc that was hanging out at The Dingo with my brother." Penny commented, snapping her gum. "He said you moved in next door to the Curtis'."

Ellie nodded.

"Watch out," Another girl smiled, turning the cap of her lipstick in her hand. "If Kathy hears you've been chatting up her boyfriend, you'll get a face full of claws."

She scratched at the air playfully and Ellie got a good look at the red daggers attached to each of her fingers. Out of all the girls, this one seemed to be most threatening. Her fiery hair was teased up as far as it could go, and her skirt was so high that Ellie couldn't even glance at the exposed skin without blushing. Her eyes held nothing in them but contempt.

"Shut up, Sylvia." Penny snapped, turning back to the mirror as Ellie moved out of the way. "Kathy couldn't hurt a damn fly if she wanted, and Two-Bit can talk to who he likes."

The black-haired girl dropped her eyeliner beside the sink and inched towards Ellie like she was stalking out her prey. "In fact, this Soc might be an improvement. With the way Kathy and Mathews drink, their babies won't have a brain cell to share between them. You smart, Soc?"

"My name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Ellie." Ellie told her with as much courage as she could muster. "And no, not really. I guess I'm alright in history class, though."

The girl stepped back. "You're hard to rile up." She said appraisingly. "I'm Angel."

Ellie almost laughed at the irony of her name, but held herself back.

"I'm Penny." Two-Bit's sister stated without looking away from the mirror.

The red-haired girl hiked herself up onto the counter. "Sylvia."

"Evie." The last girl was taller than the rest of them with brown hair cut into a bob and a serious expression.

"It's nice meeting you girls." Ellie smiled, trying to forget all their rude comments said only moments before.

"So..." Sylvia stuffed her tube of lipstick into the purse sitting beside her. "What's up with the getup, if you aren't from the Soc area? You steal all those clothes?"

"Nope." Ellie answered, "It's... just the way I like to dress."

Evie nodded understandingly. "It better than the way Sandy dresses, at least. That girl is years behind when it comes to fashion. I'm surprised she's stopped wearing poodle skirts, to be honest."

"Yeah," Angel felt the material of Ellie's dress strap. "It's... what's the word people are using these days? Mod. Does everyone dress like this in Chicago?"

"Uh huh." Ellie undid one of her pigtails to fix it. "And most of it doesn't cost that much, either. Actually, I made most of mine."

Angel perked up considerably. "No shit? Can you make me something?"

"Oh, I don't have my sewing machine anymore."

The girl didn't seem to be deterred. "I can lift one for you, if you like. Hell, I can probably get it from the Home Ec. room."

Penny snorted. "What, you wanna stick her with a hot sewing machine so she can slave over some dress for you before she gets arrested?"

"Well, I'm just trying to be friendly." Evie mumbled, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I've never met a girl who sews her own clothes before.

Ellie smiled brightly at the group of girls crowding the bathroom and wondered if she had just made some new friends.

* * *

"_Psst!_"

Ellie stared hard at the gross brown she had made with her green and pink paint. What had she been thinking, mixing the two colors together?

"_Psst! _Ellie!"

Not thinking at all, that was what. Not with that annoying, persistent sound in the background-

"Wow, that's an ugly ass color you got there. You gonna paint a giant turd or something?"

Finally, she pulled herself away from her artwork so she could close her eyes until she was calm enough to speak.

"What are you even doing in this class, anyway?" She asked him. "This is Art 11. Aren't you a senior?"

Two-Bit shrugged noncommittally. He had gotten a little mirror from the supply closet used for self portraits and was attempted to paint a ghastly, bleeding wound on his forehead. When he had turned to face her, the paint on his brush fell onto his jeans.

"I keep failing grades." He told her with a little pout. "School is hard."

Ellie smiled and passed him a paper. "Not if you follow the instructions."

"You're absolutely no fun, do you know that?" Two-Bit tried to wipe the paint off but only smeared it. He looked so out of place in an art class filled with soc girls.

"Hey," She stuck her hands up, "You're the one who chose this class. If you didn't want to actual art, then you should have taken... economics, or something."

He dipped his paintbrush in his excessive amount of red acrylic and dabbed a little bit more blood onto his wound. "I figured it would be an easy class. Plus, I have a thing for chicks that do art. And blondes."

"You're a..." Ellie started creating a tree on her paper, though she had been trying to paint her favorite street in Chicago. "...An odd boy, Two-Bit."

"_Man._" Two-Bit pointed at her with the wooden end of his brush. "I'm an odd _man._"

She rolled her eyes. Every time he moved, he got more paint on himself. "Okay fine, whatever."

He didn't look very satisfied, but he let it go anyway and went back to his wound. It looked rather unrealistic, but the amount of red he had dripping down from it was masking that fact.

"You should go down the halls like that." Ellie giggled, "And when people comment about it, pretend you didn't even know it was there."

Two-Bit grinned. "I've got an even better idea."

Eventually, Two-Bit managed to get her to ask for the bathroom pass. She stood outside the classroom for five minutes, waiting for him to emerge.

"What did you tell the teacher?" She asked as they hurried down the halls. Two-Bit seemed to know exactly where he wanted them to go. "Wheres your washroom pass?"

"What are you talking about? I just left."

"You just _left_? As in, got up and walked out?" Ellie didn't even know people could do that.

Two-Bit flashed her a grin. "I'm just so rebellious, aren't I? Nah, they don't care if I leave. Bet the teach' was surprised I even showed up."

Ellie considered this for a moment. She didn't understand why Two-Bit hadn't just quit school like Sodapop. Not that she would approve, of course. But if he couldn't even bother to attend classes, what was the point?

"Alright." Two-Bit had led them down to the first floor of the school, just a little before the main doors. "See that classroom? I want you to frantically wave at Ponyboy so he comes out of class."

She peeked inside of the class and sure enough, Ponyboy was slouched in his back-row seat, eyes fixed to the board in front of him. "Why?"

Two-Bit put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't ever question the mastermind, honey. Are you good at acting?"

Ellie shrugged. "I took theater in my old school."

"Good enough." He glanced inside the classroom and started to back away. "Wave him outside and tell him something bad happened. Then lead him around the corner, alright?"

She made a face but nodded anyway. This better be quick, because she only had two minutes before her bathroom break would become suspiciously long.

Two-Bit rounded the corner and Ellie tried to put on her game-face before jumping up and down and waving in front of the little slit of window on the door. Most of the class spotted her before Ponyboy did, but eventually he came outside.

"What?" He asked, shutting the door behind him. "I'm reviewing for a test!"

She forced a few alligator tears to bubble up in her eyes. "It's- It's Two-Bit, Pony! I think someone attacked him!"

Pony straightened up immediately and dunked his hand into his jacket pocket, revealing his switchblade. "Where?"

"I-I..." Ellie eyed the instrument suspiciously, wondering if the prank might be going too far. If he got caught with that, he'd be in a world of trouble.

"_Where_?" He snapped, grabbing her shoulder painfully.

"Uh," She blinked, "A-around the corner!"

He let go of her so quickly that she tripped and nearly fell on her face. When she got a hold of herself, he was already gone.

"Two-Bit!" She heard Pony call.

The older boy was sprawled out on the floor when she caught up. It was rather impressive, actually, the way watery globs of red paint was running down the side of his face and dripping onto the tile. If she didn't know better, she would have thought he was dead.

"Two-Bit!" Ponyboy screamed again, propping his head up on his lap. Poor, unfortunate, dead Two-Bit couldn't stop himself from cracking a grin then.

"You're so passionate, Pony." He commented, his eyes still shut. "I'm very touched."

Pony lifted his hand covered in fake blood and inspected it for a brief second. Then his face turned as red as the paint and he scrambled up on his feet to give his friend a few strong kicks to the side. "You fucking idiot! I thought you were dead! It's not funny! It's not fucking funny!"

And it was in that particular moment that a duo of teachers had decided to pass by.

* * *

**Ey yo. Haha I just wrote half this chapter. I had it up to the point where she meets the gang of girls, but then I figured you guys deserved something a little more exciting. Not much, I know, but it's something, right? I PROMISE the next chapter is going to be generally enormous and exciting with some yummy Dallas/Ellie alone-time. So if you can bother sticking with me for this one last shitty chapter, you'll get a treat! Actually, you know what, I might as well give you guys a sneak peak.**

**In the next chapter:**

Dally couldn't have rolled his eyes harder. Maybe _her_ patience was endless, but his wasn't. But suddenly his hand touched down on a gold mine and he began to feel a little better.  
"Huh."  
Ellie's eyes were glued to the intersection lights. "What?"  
"I guess I was wrong about you being a goody-two-shoes after all."  
"You're darn straight!" Ellie stated automatically, and then looked over. "Wait, what?"

**Are you excited? I'm excited!**

**Thank you everyone for your reviews! I really can't tell you how much it means to me! Remember to tell me about any mistakes or plot-holes or whatever. Also, if you want to have something happen in the story, you should let me know! I might write it in!**


	4. Shot At The Night

4.

"Dallas Winston does not play with animals."

Ellie bit the inside of her cheek and stared innocently at him. "I didn't say that. I'm just saying Lord's not very playful."

The Rottweiler was giving Dally the stink-eye, but was content in his position on the porch where shade was abundant. Lady, on the other hand, was circling the lawn excitedly, her muzzle slack and her tongue poking over her teeth.

"I get the feeling you've been harassing them quite a lot lately." Ellie said as she followed the path across her front yard.

Dally shot her an irritated look. "Don't know what you're talkin' 'bout."

"Really?" She gave him her own amused expression. "'Cause my grandma says that you've been coming over almost every day, riling them up."

Dallas snorted and turned away to light a smoke. "Whatever. Maybe I'm just looking for a fight."

"Then you're looking in the wrong area." Ellie turned to her dogs. "Go on to the back, darlings. Ignore this big o' meanie."

Lord got up first, surprising Dally. The lazy shit didn't look like he'd get up if a nuke fell on the house. Lady made one more lap, got a scratch behind her ear from Ellie, and then chased after her partner.

"Do you always like ruining people's fun?" Dally asked, pushing himself off the tense so he could leave. Maybe he could score a free beer from the Curtis'.

"Wait up!" Ellie called, "Are you gonna go over to Ponyboy's?"

"You aren't coming."

Ellie came to his side and matched his pace. "Jeez, don't worry. I won't stay long enough to ruin your special man-time or whatever guys do with each other."

Dally only grunted. Was this broad ever silent? And how did she even manage to attach herself to the gang, anyway?

"Hey... What _do_ guys do with each other?"

What kind of question was that? "We do each other's hair and gossip about cute girls."

Ellie must have picked up on the heavy-handed sarcasm because when he turned to look at her she was pouting. "You're a real conversationalist."

"You wouldn't like what I got to say."

As they walked, plumes of dirt and dust kicked up and made miniature sand-storms around their feet. It was unusual for Tulsa so be so hot in the spring, but Dally liked it better than the rain. Anyway, more sun typically meant more rodeos and more rodeos meant more money.

"You know what? You remind me of my brother, all rough and mean." Ellie stated, hiking her fat purse higher in her shoulder. "You two would either get along or kill each other."

"Kill each other." Dallas replied immediately. "And don't ever compare me to some annoying brat of a Soc. I ain't nothing like that."

Ellie laughed. "My brother? A Soc? He dresses worse than you!"

Now he was really offended. "What's wrong with my clothes, huh bitch? Not enough fucking sweater vests?"

For a moment he was sure she would cry. Her eyebrows plunged, her lips quivered, her hands balled into fists... But the next second she was shaking her head solemnly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you..." She sighed. "I always say such stupid things when I'm nervous."

Dallas blew smoke out of his mouth violently. "What do you have to be nervous about, huh?"

Ellie tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She had a trend of keeping it in some kind of style, but today she didn't seem to mind letting her locks go free. "I don't know... Boys like you are just kind of... dangerous."

It took all of his strength not to smile. Nothing could boost a man's ego more than being called dangerous, that was for sure. Damn broad probably knew it too. He'd bet on his life that if he looked at her right then, she'd be smirking up a storm, all smug and shit.

"Oh, hey Ponyboy!" Ellie shouted, skipping away from Dallas as they approached the house. Ponyboy was sitting on the porch, a smoke in one hand and a novel in the other.

"Hey." The younger boy answered casually, looking torn between finishing his book and talking to her. "What brings you to my part of town?"

"Just passing by." Ellie laughed, then wretched her purse open and pulled out a giant plate. "Actually, I came by to return this. The cake was really good, by the way."

Ponyboy grinned. "You'll have to tell Sodapop that. He's inside making a new one right now."

Ellie nodded and left the boy to his novel. Dallas hung back, enjoying the show as she hesitated awkwardly at the door, wondering if she should knock or go right in. Eventually Dallas made the decision for her.

"Two-Bit, you drink all the beer again?" He asked, swinging the door wide open and collapsing onto the love-seat. Steve and Two-Bit had parked themselves inches away from the television while Darry sat stretched out on the couch. He was so big that he took up nearly half the seat.

"There's one left." Two-Bit grinned, "But you'll have to fight Darry for it."

Wasn't worth it.

"Uh, hey guys." Ellie wavered at the door shyly. "Just dropped by to return your plate..."

Darry got up and took it from her and attempted a smile. Dallas snorted. The funny thing about the oldest Curtis boy was that he could break a bone in one hand but had trouble forming words in front of a girl. Even an ugly one.

"Soda!" Johnny's voice drifted in from the kitchen. "I'm telling you, that's way too much sugar."

Dallas heaved himself off the sofa and padded into the next room. Unsurprisingly, Soda was creating a glorious mess of flower, cocoa powders and eggs.

"No such thing as too much sugar, Johnnycake!" Soda shouted manically. He was heaving large scoops of the white crystals into a larger bowl while Johnny looked on with distaste.

"You're gunna make all of us fat." Dally passed the boys to open the icebox, which was filled with nothing but beer, chocolate milk, and raw hotdogs. They didn't even have buns.

"Not you, Dally Boy." Soda smirked over his concoction. "You're already ballooning as it is."

It only took a minute or two to get him in a head lock. "I think you're confusing the word muscle for fat, kiddo."

"Oh ya, I think that's exactly what it is, Dally!" Sodapop wheezed, thrashing around so badly he would have knocked over the batter if Darry hadn't steadied the bowl.

"Knock it off!" The oldest boy demanded, "And clean this mess up, Soda." He glanced down at the cake batter and winced. "No more sugar."

Soda straightened up, rubbed his neck, and spotted Ellie by the door. "Oh, hey Soc!"

"Hey Greaser." Ellie smiled, "Did a tornado hit your kitchen?"

Johnny hopped up on the counter beside Dally. "No, he's just a really vicious cake baker."

"It's an art, Johnny." Sodapop stated proudly, "And tidiness must be sacrificed for art. I think someone famous said that once, right Ponyboy?"

The youngest boy had squeezed into the room just as Darry Dallas, his path lead him straight to the icebox. "Nope. That's all you, Sodapop."

"Damn." Sodapop poured his mixture into two pans. "I should become a philosopher, or something."

"I'm not sure that's an actual career." Ellie commented, accepting the spoon Sodapop handed to her. She ran her finger along the edge and tasted the batter. "Oh. Wow. So... sweet."

"Hey Johnny," Dallas said quietly, slinging an arm over Johnny affectionately. "Your parents-"

"Are at it again?" Johnny shook his head. "When are they not fighting, Dally?"

Dallas didn't know what to say. Johnny was always a sensitive kid, like Ponyboy. If they felt it, they showed it. The thought of acting like that made Dally's skin crawl. He hoped neither of the boys would ever end up in jail. Kids like them, kids who didn't know how to build walls around themselves, would only be subjected to bombardment.

Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Ellie weren't listening in on their conversation. Instead they were sticking fingers in the batter.

"It's so grainy..." Ellie let her little tongue slip out and her nose wrinkle. "Are you sure you only put one cup in it?"

"One cup, two cups, the whole package." Sodapop shrugged. "What's the difference?"

Ponyboy stuck the pans into the oven so they could bake. "Anyone wanna go to the drive-in tonight?"

Johnny jumped on board immediately, as well as Dally and Sodapop. They hadn't gone in a while, though Ponyboy had asked almost every other night. With Soda, Steve, and Darry almost always out working, they could tell he was beginning to feel left behind.

Ellie opened her mouth but Dally cut her off. "You're not coming."

"Dallas!" Sodapop hissed, crossing his arms over his chest. In that moment, the similarity between he and Darry seemed obvious. But there was no way in hell Dally was going to be intimidated by a pretty-boy like Soda.

"It's fine." Ellie waved her hand in dismissal. "I was just going to say that this girl Alice invited me to go tonight. Maybe we'll see you around."

"Alice Pennon?" Johnny asked excitedly, wiggling his eyebrows at Pony. "Looks like it's meant to be, huh?"

"Shut up, Johnny!"

"Oi!" Darry shouted from the living room, "No swearing in front of the girl."

Ellie laughed lightly and slipped her purse back on. "Okay, I've got to go. But I'll see you guys at the Drive-In, right?"

When she was gone, Dally turned to Ponyboy. "This Alice girl... She a Soc?"

Pony nodded and they shared a look. They didn't have to speak to know how the night would go.

* * *

The Drive-In belonged mostly to the Greasers on weekdays while the Socs were at home eating dinner with their families and doing homework. Still, that night it wasn't overly packed and they managed to find decent seats by the concession. The first movie flew by without any appearances from Ellie. Dallas was infinitely glad, even if Ponyboy kept shaking his knee in anticipation for a whole hour, his eyes everywhere but focused on the movie.

"Have you ever even spoken to her?" Sodapop asked, a Cheshire grin stretching from one of his ears to the other.

"Yeah." Ponyboy started with a blush.

"She dropped her pencil in the hallway and he picked it up for her." Johnny informed them. "Pony, I don't think 'thanks' and 'you're welcome' counts as a conversation..."

"That's rich coming from someone who can't even look a girl in the eye, let alone open his mouth without stuttering."

Dally reached over and ruffled Ponyboy's hair roughly. "Cut it out you two, I'm tryin' ta' watch this shit."

"I think it's cute." Sodapop said, then pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "My little brother's all grown up, tryin' to get laid!"

"Shut up!" Ponyboy ground out, his eyes locked in something by the concession lineup. Ellie waved at them, a skinny blonde linked arm in arm with her. They whispered reverently at each other for a moment, and then Ellie dragged the girl over.

"Hey guys. This is Alice. Alice, this is Johnny, Dallas, Sodapop..." She took a deep, dramatic breath and then gestured to the last boy. "And Ponyboy."

Alice and Ponyboy's faces were the same colour of red. She waved awkwardly. "Hello."

"Hey." The boys chorused.

After an awkward pause, Soda pointed to the seats beside him. "Don't be shy, sit down."

"So... Johnny and Ponyboy go to the same school as us." Ellie said once they had settled in.

"Oh?" Alice spoke so quietly that they had strain their ears to hear her over the movie noise. "I've never seen you around before..."

"Well, we don't really hang out with the same people." Ponyboy explained. "But I see you in the halls a lot."

Alice nodded.

"I'm thinking of joining cheer." Ellie said, and Dallas could tell she was just spouting things off to keep the conversation going. "What do you guys think?"

"The only good thing about cheerleading is the skirts they wear." Dally told her. "You'd think a bunch a' girls that flash their panties every time they do a trick would be a little less prudish."

Alice's face turned an even darker red. "I'm a cheerleader." She told him sulkily.

Dally blinked, took a drag of his smoke and said, "Well, that proves my point."

"Ignore him." Sodapop passed the girls his popcorn. "He's just mad 'cause he didn't make the team."

Instead of replying, Alice turned herself to the screen and folded her arms over her chest. What a stuck-up bitch, Dallas thought. But what else would be expected from a Soc? He didn't understand how Ellie could be so oblivious. Dragging this girl over to sit with a gang of greasers was the opposite of what she should do if she planned on keeping friends. Greasers and Socs did not mingle. Treading the line wasn't an option either, and one day soon Ellie would have to pick what side she wanted to play for. And Dallas didn't need to be psychic to know exactly what her choice would be.

He let out a loud, exasperated groan when another Soc girl came trotting over, her high ponytail swinging back and forth. He remembered her from back when he still went to school. If his memory was correct, she was one of those girls that had been elevated to popularity through wealth and had stayed there by being genuinely kind to everyone she met- as long as they were socs.

She glanced suspiciously at each boy, sizing them up, before she locked eyes with Alice. "Hey Alice! Everything okay?"

"Oh, hi Sandra." The girl had her eyes glued to her shoes. "Are you here with Bill?"

"No, just a few girls. There's space in the car if you want to join us."

Alice looked nervously towards Ellie and gave her a little sheepish grin. "Do you mind if I just pop by there and say hello?"

Ellie shook her head earnestly, an all-teeth smile stretched wide across her face. "No! Of course not."

Alice was standing before Ellie could finish her sentence. "Thanks... Um, do you want to come?"

The newest Soc planted a look on Ellie that made it clear she had not been invited.

"Oh, no it's alright. I get awfully shy with big crowds of strangers."

"Alright then." Alice hesitated for a moment at the edge of the seats. Then she gave Ellie one last smile and followed the Soc into the rows of cars. Dallas watched their asses sway until they were gone.

"She seems nice." Sodapop said behind the mouthful of popcorn he had shoved into his mouth.

"Really pretty, huh Ponyboy?" Johnny snickered and Pony shoved him so hard he almost fell off the seat.

Ellie had let her wide smile drop. Pulling her cardigan around her small frame, she slumped a little in her seat. "She's not going to come back, is she?"

Soda squeezed her shoulder awkwardly. "Sure she is! What are you talking about?"

Ellie pouted and sunk further down. At first Dally thought she only did that as a sort of act, but it was becoming more and more apparent that her little lip habit was an actual expression. But this whole situation had been her own fault. If she hadn't been so ignorant as to drag the soc over, she could have spent the night cruising around with those other girls instead of ruining the boy's evening with her dramatics.

"Soda, the movie's just about to end. So unless she thinks she can "pop by and say hello" in one minute, I very much doubt she's planning to come back for me."

The boys shifted restlessly in their seats, unable to find words to console her. Thankfully, she seemed to be able to cheer herself up.

"All right." Ellie stood and stretched as the credits rolled onto the screen. "Any of you want a ride home?"

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"Yes please!"

"Fine."

They zigzagged through the chessboard of cars as the credits ran down the screen, eventually passing a car full of giggling girls -one of whom was Alice. Ellie sent her a little goodbye wave when their eyes met, but didn't react any further. Pony, Johnny and Dally took backseat, Soda having called shotgun. It felt weird being driven around by a girl, but it was better than walking and facing the danger of being jumped. Not that Dally couldn't take a few guys.

"Uh, Ellie?" Ponyboy muttered as they slowly pulled out of the lot. "Did you hit a skunk or something?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "No, why?"

"'Cause it smells like one in here."

Dally took a deep sniff and it was confirmed. "Shit, did you leave road kill in your trunk or something?"

"No!" Ellie cried indignantly, "I don't know why it smells like this. It just does."

"Why'd you have such a beater of a car anyway?" Ponyboy asked, earning a hard shove from Sodapop.

"What?" The young boy grumbled, "I'm just saying, it doesn't really match her persona."

"It's my brother's car." Ellie told them cheerfully. She seemed most happy when she was chatting their ears off about her family. "My dad made him pay for his own car, so this is all he could afford. He could have gotten a nicer one but he's awful at saving money. Anyway, he probably farted so much in here that the smell stayed."

The boys fell into a long series of laughter, mostly because it was the most vulgar thing that they thought could possibly spew out of her mouth.

"Oh, hush up." Ellie smiled and tried to hide her blush. "Who lives closest?"

"Me." Johnny stated, sobering quickly.

"Just turn left here and keep going straight 'till you hit a cal-de-sac."

"You can crash on the couch again if you want, Johnny." Ponyboy told him quietly. Quick as lightening, the mood had shifted once more. It was unsettlingly still in the car, and even as they'd talked it didn't seem to disturb the silence of the moment.

Johnny kept his eyes fixed on the passing scenery outside. "Nah. You know if I stay out too much, it just makes things worse."

Dallas watched Ellie from his seat behind hers. He couldn't see too much in the dark, but he could hear the steady tapping of her finger on the wheel and the smooth curves of her exposed neck surge under every heavy breath. She was tense.

Ellie stopped the car in front of his house. A sigh of relief echoed through them at the sights and sounds of a quiet home. Only Johnny looked even more anxious. Dally lit up a smoke and passed it to him.

"See ya later, Johnnycake." The boy took a long drag, passed it back, and opened the car door. The gang watched him until he was safe inside.

"He'll... be okay, right?" Ellie asked, biting her lip. Though no one had told her of Johnny's situation, she seemed to have figured it out herself. Dally didn't know what to think. Half the time she was as oblivious to the world as a goldfish. But moments like these revealed the opposite.

"He's not a baby." Dallas snapped. "He'll survive."

She pouted once more. It must have been the tenth time that day. "Who's next?"

"Do you mind dropping us off next?" Sodapop asked, "I know its kind of inconvenient 'cause it's so close to yours, but Ponyboy'll get in a world of trouble if he's any later than he already is and I need to work early tomorrow."

"No problem." Ellie told them. Their own street was only a few behind Johnny's and the two Curtis boys were hustling into the house before five minutes had passed. Dally paused indecisively for a moment. For one, he didn't really want to ride across town with Ellie. On the other hand, he didn't want to walk.

"Alright, so where do you- ugh! What are you doing?"

Dallas shoved his foot into the front seat and hunched over so that the rest of him could follow it. In one un-fluid movement, he was sitting up front beside her.

He took a puff of his smoke. "Calm down."

Ellie rolled her eyes and took a deep breath as she pulled away from the curb.

"Do you_ like_ testing my patience?"

"Yeah." Dally admitted. "Try'na see when you'll finally snap and claw my eyes out."

"Well good luck." Ellie told him proudly, "Because my patience is endless."

"We'll see." Ellie bit down on her lip and concentrated hard on driving. Dally was half tempted to make her pull over so he could drive. They'd certainly get home faster if he did.

"You ever go past ten miles per hour?" He grumbled, poking at the numerous buttons available to him.

Ellie swatted his hand away. "Stop. You're gunna turn on my windshield wipers and cause an accident."

"It's not my fault your so shitty at driving. Do you even have your licence?" She started gnawing on her lip so roughly they looked like they'd rip.

"Wait..." Dallas shot up. "You don't have your licence?"

The pink in her cheeks spread to her ears. "I didn't have time to get it before I was being forced to drive from Chicago to Oklahoma, okay? Do you have your licence?"

Dally shrugged. "No, but that's different."

"How?"

"'Cause I'm not miss goody-two shoes." Dally told her as he focused his attention on the glove compartment. "Bet you haven't ever even swore."

"I am not a goody-two-shoes." Ellie stated with her nose poked up in the air. "And that's just because I'm too classy to swear."

Dally couldn't have rolled his eyes harder. Maybe her patients was endless, but his wasn't. But suddenly his hand touched down on a gold mine and he began to feel a little better.

"Huh."

Ellie's eyes were glued to the intersection lights. "What?"

"I guess I was wrong about you being a goody-two-shoes after all."

"You're darn straight!" Ellie stated automatically, and then looked over. "Wait, what?"

Dally waved a baggy full of grass in her face, a cocky smirk twitching at the edges of his lips.

"I'm actually kind of relieved. I was beginning to think the skunk smell was coming from you."

Ellie's face dropped. "That's my brothers. Put it back where you found it."

"Or we can smoke it." Dally said, "It's not like he's gunna come by and grab it any time soon."

"Yes he is." Ellie told him, "When everything settles in Chicago."

"That could take months. By then he won't remember a few grams." They pulled into Buck Merrill's driveway. Dally didn't like the look of the place when it wasn't filled with party guests. It made him feel as if he was intruding.

"Put it back!" Her voice had taken on a whining tone that he greatly disliked. Just to spite her, he made a giant display of putting the baggy into the inside pocket of his leather jacket.

"Dallas!" She cried, squeezing the wheel tight enough to make the leather squeak. "Come on!"

"Awe, lemme have it!" Dallas put on his best smile. "It's my birthday."

"No it is not!" Ellie mad a swipe for his jacket.

"So much for that patience, hey?" Dallas snorted, easily backing away from her attack.

Ellie froze, gave him a stern look, and then frantically undid her seatbelt. "That's it!"

Dallas didn't have the space to avoid her when she pushed herself up on her knees and lunged at him.

"Oi, get off!" He barked, and was disappointed at how half-assed he sounded. She was jabbing her skinny little fingers into his side, desperate to find the stolen drugs. And, well, he'd die before he'd admit it, but he was goddamn ticklish and she was five seconds away from dragging a laugh out of him.

"Why are you even wearing a jacket? It's a million degrees outside!" She fussed, poking him in a particularly sensitive part of his stomach.

"Enough!" Dallas told himself as he grabbed a handful of her ass and shoved. Ellie's chattering ceased immediately when she found herself straddling his waist, her hands knotted in the hem of his shirt and his breath tickling her nose. Dally let his gaze travel to her lips, parted ever so slightly, and then to the stormy greys of her eyes. They didn't suit her, he decided. She should have brown or green eyes. Something earthy, not cold. But whatever, it didn't mean anything to him.

"Just a little lower, babe." Dallas teased.

"Uh." Ellie flushed. "Uh..."

What a fucking virgin.

"I know I'm irresistible girly," Dally sat up so that she wasn't sitting so close. "But you're gunna have to learn to control your urges."

Ellie sighed and smacked him half-heartedly on the shoulder. "Don't you have a girlfriend, you idiot? Maybe you should worry about your own urges."

Dallas snorted. "Like I'd be tempted to fuck a twiggy, whiny bitch like you."

"How uncouth." Ellie sulked, though he got the distinct feeling she hadn't taken his words to heart. Crawling off of him and back into her own seat, she cast him a sour glance and then said, "Fine, you can have one joint, but no more than that."

Dallas let out a triumphant laugh and pulled the baggy back out of his jacket. "You got any papers?"

"Check the glove box?" There was nothing left inside it but a car manual.

"I've got some upstairs anyway." Dallas said, realizing they had been idling in Bucks's driveway.

Ellie's eyes narrowed. "That's great, but that bag is not leaving my sight." He leaned back and took a few deep breaths. "Okay, you annoying brat. Come upstairs."

She visibly debated with herself. "Fine... Just keep your hands to yourself."

"I'll try my hardest, Sister Elizabeth." He jested, leading her into the house. To his surprise, the place wasn't empty at all. Not as packed as it was on weekends, sure, but there were a few boys loitering around Buck's makeshift bar.

Ellie's eyes travelled around the room. "Does your daddy own this..." She was searching for the word. "Bar?"

"Nah, he does." He pointed to Merrill behind the counter, arguing with some kid. "He's my rodeo partner. But mostly he bootlegs and runs this place."

Ellie followed him up the steps of a rickety staircase. "Oh? But you live here?"

"Upstairs." Dally knew what she was dying to ask him. Where was his parents and why didn't they care that he lived over a seedy, crappy bar on the edge of town? But he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing. He was trying his best to be friendly because she was willing enough to spare a joint and because she had annoyingly wormed her way into the hearts of his friends. But that didn't mean he was gunna open himself up like a book. Especially for a chick that wasn't doing it with him.

She wavered at the door of his room. She did that a lot: hesitate.

"Sit down on the bed." Dallas commanded, "You're freaking me out, standing there. And don't look at me like that. I ain't gunna pounce on you, so relax."

Ellie nearly tiptoed over to his bed and perched herself on the end of the mattress like she was afraid to touch anything. "I've never been in a boy's room before."

Dallas rifled through the stuff cluttered atop his dresser. He knew he had papers somewhere. When he was fifteen he had smoked pot on a regular, but over the years the appeal had softened and at seventeen he hadn't lit one up for a few months.

"No shit. Is it what you expected?" He asked absentmindedly.

"Actually, it's cleaner than expected."

Dallas shrugged. "I don't hang out here a lot. Downstairs is usually where the entertainment is."

"Of course." She giggled, finally relaxing, and leaned back so that she was propped up on her elbows. She didn't seem to notice that her dress was riding up, but Dallas definitely did.

"I've never been to a bar, either."

"I could tell." Dally told her, popping the joint between his lips and bringing his zippo to the tip. He could feel Ellie's eyes burning into the side of his face.

He sighed. "You're a god-damn Virgin Mary."

"Am not!" Ellie huffed, "You guys think I haven't done one bad thing in my life, don't you? I'm from Chicago, I've seen stuff, done stuff..."

There was no stopping the gravely peals of laughter jumping from Dally's throat. "Kiddo, I bet you haven't ever even kissed a boy."

"Yes I have. I was in a play in seventh grade and-"

Another bout of chuckles. "No way does a kiss for a play count."

"Well then, when was your first time?"

"Like I can even remember that kind of shit."

"Everyone remembers their first kiss!" Dallas took another toke.

"Not me. Want a huff?"

She shook her head reverently. "I don't do drugs."

In his best imitation of her griping falsetto voice, he repeated her words, "I'm from Chicago! I've seen stuff, I've done stuff!"

"I don't sound like that!" She squealed, giving him another light whack on his forearm. Why he let her hit him was a mystery. "And okay, so I haven't exactly... done anything, but I have seen things! My brother is always stashing drugs around the house. One time when I was ten, I found a pound of cocaine in the garage. When my dad saw it in my hands, he went berserk. I don't think my brother came home for a whole week. They fight a lot, anyway. Mum says it's because Danny reminds dad of himself when he was young. But I think dad's trying to straighten him out by bringing him into the family business."

Dallas groaned and laid down, his feet dangling off the edge of his bed. His back ached his head was beginning to hurt as well. "Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?"

"All the time." Ellie tilted her head and smiled down at him. "Would you rather we talk about you?"

Dally looked away and she sat back up so all he could see was her back. She really was such a skinny thing. She wouldn't stand a chance in a fight, that's for sure. Then again, he couldn't really picture her riling anyone up enough to get in one. She was too docile. Dallas liked girls with some fire in them. He didn't have to step around those types of girls. He could be rough, mean Dally Winston and they wouldn't bat an eyelash.

"I thought so." She paused once more, "Anyway. Mum doesn't really care about what Danny does. She's always too busy fussing over me, making sure I grow up to be the 'perfect lady'. I don't mind the shopping trips or the girl's nights out so much. But sometimes she gets into these moods where all she wants to do is nag about me getting better grades because men don't like total airheads that can't keep a conversation. Or that I need to start cooking more and keep my room clean 'cause no one will wanna marry me if I don't know how to be a house-keeper. But then she started on pageants and-"

Dally, who had been utterly bored previously, sat up and grinned. "Hold on, pageants?"

"Yes! Pageants!" Ellie tried on her best irritable look, but it came off as dour instead. "With the gaudy dresses and the stiff hair and those ugly, ugly dress suits!"

"Did'ja ever win one?"

Ellie sighed. "No, and mum never let's me forget it. She even called a few days ago and tried to convince me to join some here. I nearly hung up on her."

Dallas' joint was dwindling. Briefly, he wondered if this was what it would be like to be a soc. Inviting soft little girls into his room and not even touching them. Having to sit there and bare it while they rattled on and on about things that didn't even matter. Then he thought about what it would be like if Ellie was just a little less pure and a little more tainted. If she flirted and drank and smoked and fought like a real greaser girl. He thought about sleeping with her, as well. Yet somehow the idea of it made him dislike her even more. There was a loud bang on the door and then the rattle of the knob.

"Oi, Dally! I can smell that shit from a mile away!"

Like a spooked rabbit, Ellie kicked her feet up so that her knees were pushing into her chest, revealing even more of the creamy skin on her thighs.

"Calm down." Dally crawled lethargically towards the door and swung it open.

A boy a little taller and older than him strode inside. His hair was as black as coal and he had the most ragged scar running across the side of his face. "Where's the grass?"

"None left." Dallas told him with hostility. Even if he did have more, there was no way he was going to share with the likes of Tim Shepherd.

"Bullshit." Tim's attention locked on the frightened creature huddled on his bed. "Screwing around behind Sylvia's back with a soc, Dally?"

_Now_ Dally remembered why he didn't smoke pot so much any more- it just made him tired. "No. And if she thinks I am tomorrow then I'll be comin' for you, Tim."

Shepherd wasn't listening. "Hey pretty lady. Odd day for you to be slumming. You aught to come back on the weekend when the place is really kickin'."

Dallas caught her fearful gaze. Taking one last puff, he jerked his head towards the open door. "Go on home now, kiddo."

At the sound of his voice, Ellie ripped her eyes away from the scar on Tim's face to catch Dally in her grey orbs once more.

"Okay." She answered obediently, uncurling herself from the bed. When she scurried past Tim he tried smacking her ass, but Dallas grabbed his hand just in time and Ellie didn't notice.

At the threshold of his room, she turned her head and gave him a cautious smile. "See you around, Dallas."

The boys waited until they could hear the sound of her car tracking slowly down the road.

"She doesn't seem to be your type." Tim commented.

Dallas shook his head and moved towards his mattress. He felt like he could sleep for years. "Nah. Girls like that are too innocent to be any fun."

"Dallas, Dallas, Dallas." Shepard grinned, stealing a smoke from the top of his dresser. "That's the whole point of girls like that. You get to taint them."

* * *

**Sup. So something FINALLY happened! Wow! Moving forward on the plot, finally! I wasn't sure if that whole touchy-touchy scene was too fast but I never really figured Dallas to be the type to wait. If he sees an opportunity to get laid, he'll take it. Anyway, I think I made it pretty clear that he wasn't really into her just yet. Also sorry if the editing/ format is shit. I'm using someone else's computer and they don't have word etc etc. What else? OH sorry if you aren't into drugs. But I don't think it would be too out of character for most of those kids to have smoked pot before. I mean, they steal and fight and are in jail 50% of the time. Anyway, the drugs were a necessary addition because of reasons that I won't say just yet. But lemme tell you, even if it seems like I'm rambling on about boring facts, I'm actually foreshadowing. Theres actually a buttload of foreshadowing in these chapters.**

**DON'T DO DRUGS KIDS ITS OVERRATED TRUST ME!**

**_Anyway! Thank you everyone for the reviews! I know the last chapter was pretty boring, so thanks for all of you who stuck with me anyway! Please remember to review on anything and everything! Grammar, OOCs, story flow! Anything! And if you guys want to see something happen, tell me! I might sneak it in!_**


	5. Stylo

5.

"Lord, heal!"

The dog gave her an audacious stare and trotted further away to urinate on a park bush. Ellie shut her eyes away from the glaring sun, sighed, and reopened them. Lady gave her hand an affectionate nudge. Ellie returned it with a scratch behind her ear, wondering why the Rottweiler never let her pet him like Lady did. Lord was Danny's, technically, and Ellie had a sneaking suspicion that her brother had been taking his pet to dog fights. There was no way that gnawed ear came from lounging around in the yard.

As she did almost every day, Ellie had taken the two beasts to the local park only a fifteen minute walk away from her home. She felt bad for being gone for long periods of time, knowing her grandmother didn't pay them any attention and they were used to the expansive lawn back home. The daily walks allowed them to stretch their legs and kept them from tearing into each other. Ellie enjoyed them as well. Without her grandmother to argue with or people to impress she had time to sort out her life. Not that there was a lot to sort... most of her days were spent in solitude; drama-free. The boys were nice and always asking her to tag along to things, but Ellie figured they'd have more fun without the new girl chasing after them.

"Lord, get back here boy." Ellie ran her thumb over the metal choker in her hand. She hated the thought of using it, but Lord was always ignoring her and she knew that there was a serious threat of him running off-

Which was exactly what he did.

Ellie wavered in spot, unsure of what she should do. "Uh... Oh! Get him Lady!"

Lady took off in a heartbeat. Even with Lord's five second head start, his female counterpart was infinitely faster and had caught up to him just as they rounded the corner of a building, out of Ellie's sight.

"Lord! Come back here!" She shrieked with all her might, ignoring the looks she got from a passing couple. If her mother was there she would have scolded her for being so unrefined.

There was a loud commotion behind the corner store the dogs had rounded and Ellie willed herself to run faster. If Lord bit someone they'd have to put him down and she was positive she wouldn't be able to handle that. Too much had changed in her life already. Dropping everything for an impromptu road-trip across two states wasn't exactly in her to-do list, and neither was having to leave her friends and family behind. So, yes, he was a rough, cold, beast of a dog, but she'd weep like a child if she had to loose him too. She only had a handful of things that reminded her of home, and Lord was one of them.

Gasping for breath, Ellie arrived in the parking lot of the store just as a car raced by, nearly flattening her in the process. Lady had Lord's neck in her jaw and was trying her best to wrestle him into submission. What was more terrifying was the sight of Johnny Cade sprawled across the pavement, Ponyboy crouched over him.

Almost immediately, tears began to spring from Ellie's eyes. "I'm so sorry!"

Johnny let out a little chuckle as Ellie dropped down beside Ponyboy and inspected his bloody elbow. "Don't worry about it."

"He doesn't usually go off like that..." She turned her head and stuck her finger out at the two fighting dogs. "Lord, you bad, bad boy!"

She wanted to punish the dog more severely, but she didn't have it in her to do anything but that. Even her strictest voice sounded flimsy.

"Actually, he sort of did us a favour." Ponyboy helped Johnny up while Ellie put Lord on the choker. The dog gave a little growl but didn't resist. "If it wasn't for him, those socs would'a jumped us."

Ellie wiped away stray tears and eyed the boys. They didn't look too roughed up, and there definitely wasn't any bite marks that she could see. "Jumped you? Why would they jump you?"

"They don't need a reason to." Johnny explained, tugging his plaid shirt-sleeve over the minor cut. "Just need to see us at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Ellie watched a smile tug at Ponyboy's face as Lady sniffed at his hand. He gave her snout a weary pat, like he was nervous that she might open her maw and take a bite.

"If Lord hadn't come and chased them off, we would'a been in trouble. I've never seen socs run so fast before."

Ellie sighed and unleashed the dog with a little pat. "That's Lord for you. Can't resist a good fight. He used to jump the fence and maul cats back home."

As if he knew he was being spoken about, Lord sent her another scathing look and shook out his coat.

"You should clean that cut." Ellie told Johnny. "It might get infected."

The boys shared a look. She couldn't pinpoint what it meant exactly, but she couldn't deny that it startled and saddened her anyway. Ellie wasn't oblivious. She knew Johnny's parents fought a lot and the boy probably got caught in it. But what could she do? His gang looked out for him the best they could, and it wasn't her business to get involved. She was just the new kid down the street, not his best friend, and definitely not his savior. Even if he opened up to her about it, she wouldn't know what to say. Her father, though often tough on his son, had always been too calm and collected to raise a hand at his family. If there was a disagreement, he'd get his way by default as man of the house.

"I'd had worse." Johnny insisted as they made their way out of the parking lot and back towards the park.

"Do you guys get jumped by socs a lot?"

"Sure, when they get bored enough to cross the tracks and cause trouble." Ponyboy told her. Lady seemed to have taken a liking to the boy and was licking and nipping his hand for more petting. "But sometimes it's other greaser kids trying to rob us or scare us outta their gang's territory."

Ellie's eyebrows rose up. "Gangs? You have gangs here?"  
"Well sure." Johnny nodded, "There's our gang-"

"Now you're telling me that your in a gang?" Ellie halted and set them with the most exaggeratedly horrified expression. "I thought you two were good boys!"

Ponyboy crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back slightly. "Good? Johnnycake and I are just two regular JDs and hoods! You should see our criminal records. They're as long as Santa's naughty and nice list!"

"Oh yeah." Johnny smiled, "Every night we go out and get in rumbles, slash tires, and harass pretty girls."

Ellie giggled as they started walking again. "Oh yeah? Then how come you haven't harassed me?"

"He said pretty girls, Ellie."

She lightly whipped him on the arm with the leash and the boys burst into snickers.

"Who's in your big bad gang then?" She asked once they had settled down.

"Just us two, Darry, Soda, Steve, Two-Bit, and Dally." Ponyboy said, "But we're not at all bad compared to other gangs like the Brumly Boys, or The River Kings, or Tim Shepard's Gang. We're more like friends that stick close together."

Ellie remembered the man with a feral eyes and brutal scar at Dallas' door last week. He had a gang? He didn't look older than twenty! "I met Tim Shepard the other night. He and Dallas are friends, right?"

Johnny snorted. "When they aren't fighting each other to the death."

They had passed through the park and were wandering around the streets. Ellie liked looking at the houses, even if they weren't the prettiest or tidiest. She liked to think that the cracks and ugly paint jobs just gave them character. There seemed to be a lot of that on this side of town.

"I don't get this town." She told them with a sigh. "You're all so rough and tough. I thought it would be quiet here."

Lady had given up on getting attention from Ponyboy and had leapt away to annoy Lord.

"I bet it's not as exciting as Chicago." Johnny commented. He was always asking her about life back home. Ellie could tell he had a real yearning to get out of Tulsa.

"Probably not." Ellie smiled meekly, "But I'm not exactly an expert on the rough sides of that city. My dad wouldn't let me out of the suburbs. He'd have chained me to the house if he could. But my brother could disappear for a night, come back drunk, and dad wouldn't say a word."

Ponyboy got a faraway look on his face. "Your dad must really love you."

"Yeah." Ellie smiled at the thought of him. He was build strong and tall, with the same brown hair and grey eyes as her. They used to be close when Ellie was a baby, but eventually he had to focus his time on his business and the son that was to inherit it. She didn't even get to say goodbye when she left for Tulsa. "I can't wait to see him again."

"When do you think you'll go back?" Johnny asked as they cut through someone's yard to get onto the street Ellie and Ponyboy lived on.

Ellie shrugged. "I don't know. It could take months, or it could take years. Or maybe never again. Maybe mum and dad'll move back here. But I can't imagine that they'll leave me alone for very long."

"Why'd your mum not come here with you?"

"I'm not sure," Ellie told them, "She used to live here a long time ago. It's where she met my dad, but I don't think she likes Tulsa very much. Too many memories, she said."

"Hey kids." Steve greeted them from his perch on the Curtis' fence. "Pony, Darry's been looking for you. Something about him getting a call from school."

Ponyboy moaned loudly and ran his fingers through his slick hair. "Awe man. How mad is he?"

Steve made a face. "Actually, he's annoyingly happy."

"What did you do, Ponyboy?" Johnny asked, "Get first place in track?"

Ponyboy hussled inside without responding.

"Hey Soc." Steve set his eyes on Ellie. He didn't smile much at her, but she got the feeling that he didn't hate her or anything. "How's it going?"

She smiled sweetly. "Going good. What about you?"

"Fantastic, actually." The boy stuck his smoke in his mouth and stretched. "I hear you've been hanging around a lot. Especially with Johnny, Pony, and Two-Bit."

Johnny hiked himself up on the fence, swaying unsteadily beside his friend. "She comes by the back parking lot at school quite a lot. You should see the stares she gets for it."

"That's greasers territory." Steve explained to Ellie's confused expression.

Johnny nodded. "Two-Bit likes to say she looks like a posh little lamb walking into a wolf den."

"I do not." Ellie rolled her eyes. "And you tell Two-Bit to stop talkin' bout me."

"He can't." Johnny grinned, "I think he's smitten."

"The only thing Mathews has ever been smitten with is a bottle of booze and Micky Mouse." Steve interjected.

Ellie chatted with the boys a little longer before gathering the dogs and heading home. She would have stayed but the sun was rising higher in the sky and she thought she might get heat stroke if she didn't get a drink of something cold in her.

"Your father called." Her grandmother informed her as she stepped inside. The older woman was glued to the couch, as usual. She didn't have much energy to do much else these days. Instead of helping her condition, moving here seemed only to worsen her. "He wanted to leave a message but god knows I can't remember that kind of crap."

Ellie's stomach plummeted at the thought of missing her father's call. Her mother kept in contact at least four times a week, and when Ellie tried to call only her brother had ever answered. But she wanted to hear her father's steady voice, not her mother's reprimanding or her brother's clipped tone. She wanted to hear that everything would fall into place again... That she would see her family as a whole once more.

She took a long, cold shower to wash off all the Tulsa dust and to stop herself from crying. When she got out, Sylvia was sitting on her bed, mini-skirt and all.

"Get dressed, Soc." She flicked her cigarette ash onto the corner of Ellie's nightstand. "We're going out tonight."

* * *

**Um, thanks everyone for the zero reviews on my last chapter? If there was something everyone hated about it, please tell me! I can easily go back and revise... Anyway, posted this chapter because it's tiny and just a filler. Another bigger and more interesting chapter will be posted on monday/sunday like usual.**

**If there is ANYTHING you _do_ like or_ dont _like, please tell me! I write to improve, so help me improve! All reviews are welcome!_  
_**


	6. Do You Wanna?

6. "Um?" Ellie stuttered, tightening her towel around her very, very vulnerable body. "Did my grandma let you in?"

Sylvia raised one perfect eyebrow. "You have a grandmother?"

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, nervous. But Sylvia didn't seem at all uncomfortable as she assessed her from head to toe.

Ellie scuttled nervously to her dresser and fished out her underwear. "Do you mind?" She asked the other girl, indicating that she wanted her to look away.

Sylvia scoffed loudly, took the edge of her towel, and yanked.

"What are you doing?" Ellie screamed, trying to cover her feminine parts. "Give me my towel!"

"Calm down. I'm just trying to see what I'm working with." Sylvia snatched the panties from her. "Ugh, there is no way I'm letting you outside this house in virgin-girl underwear."

Ellie picked up her towel from her bed and re-wrapped it more securely. She could just imagine how red her face was. "And where are you taking me? And also, why? I mean, I've only talked to you a few times at school and now your breaking into my house?"

"It's a surprise." Sylvia smirked playfully and got up from the bed to rifle through Ellie's drawers and closet. "And I've always been one for theatrics."

Ellie sat down in front of her vanity and watched Sylvia compare two of her dresses. Her small room was mostly white with touches of baby blue. A twin-size bed had been shoved to one side so that there was enough room for the vanity and dresser, a strip of creamy carpet in between. It was quaint, airy, and feminine. But her room in Chicago is what she yearned for. She could even picture it- the childish pink walls; books and records coating the soft white carpet; stuffed animals and nick-nacks she had gathered and hoarded over the years scattered all around... not to mention all the clothes and jewellery she had to leave behind.

In either room, Sylvia did not belong. Not in her red pumps and not with the cat-eyes nearly touching her brows. She was like something out of hollywood... like a rougher, riskier Marilyn Monroe in knock-off shoes.

"The problem is..." She pressed one dress to her chest to see how it would look on her. "These hems just won't do."

"My mum doesn't like me wearing anything above the knees." Ellie explained.

Sylvia threw her head back in a moment of exasperation. "Who _cares_ about your mom?"

Ellie shrunk back. "I do?"

"Well now you don't." Sylvia placed a hand on her ample chest. "Who needs a mother when you have me?"

She turned back to the closet. "Where are your pants?"

"Uh, I don't have any pants."

Sylvia pulled a red skirt out of a hanger and threw it at Ellie. "Let me guess, your mother won't let you wear jeans because they'll entice the devil or something? Put that skirt on."

Ellie was allowed to pick out her own underwear and bra while Sylvia grumbled on about the horrors of chastity. The shirt the greaser girl had chosen was as tight, black, and low-cut as Ellie's mother would ever allow, which meant it might as well have been an extra large turtle-neck in Sylvia's opinion.

"Wait, your wearing it all wrong." Sylvia crouched and folded Ellie's skirt waistband over and over until the hem brushed a few inches up her thighs. Then she tugged her shirt down so low that Ellie was sure one of her breasts would pop out. "There. That's much better, don't you think? Now come and sit down by the vanity. I'm going to do up your hair so big it'll look like you stuffed a football in there."

By the time Sylvia had finished day had turned to night. Ellie's hair had grown a few inches upwards and was curled up at the ends, while her face was so heavily covered in makeup that she was scared of touching it.

"I look..." Ellie could think of millions of words that could describe her appearance, but none of them would earn her any brownie points. "Like..."

Sylvia fixed a stray hair on her new doll's head. "You look like fun, darling."

"I didn't look fun before?" Ellie asked, getting shoved unceremoniously out of her seat so Sylvia could redo her lipstick. "'Cause I was going for a mod look."

Sylvia smacked her lips and ran her finger along the edge of her lower lip. "Mod, sure. But it also looks like your fashionist-a mother dresses you to be an eternal ten-year old. You might as well slap some pig-tails on you."

Ellie didn't know whether or not she should be insulted. It wasn't as if she was wrong. Her mother had the final say in every garment that ever touched her body, and though her tastes were impeccable, both mother and father were like guardians of purity and modesty. They'd probably arranged her marriage, if they could. Or never have her marry at all.

"I can't go out like this..." Ellie mumbled, taking a good look at the amount of exposed thigh. "It's not _me_... And it's asking for things that I... don't want."

Sylvia was clearly loosing patience. "You think you're asking for sex? Trust me, kiddo, boys are beasts and they're much more attracted to saintly little virgins than they are to used-and-abused girls like me. Nothing's better than a shiny new toy to ruin."

"But..." Ellie faltered. She didn't have much experience with the opposite sex except for her brother and his friends, and she might as well have been invisible to them. Even her old school had been all-girls.

Sylvia threw over a pair of heels and sighed. "Honey, they like the way you squeal and blush when they grab your ass. So put on those damn shoes. And trust me, because the only kind of person that's gonna look out for you here are your girlfriends."

Ellie complied with a long sigh and as they walked down the stairs, Sylvia wrapped a thin arm around her shoulder.

"And anyway," Sylvia grinned, "Don't you ever get bored of being so good?"

* * *

By half past nine, Ellie was being stuffed into a car filled with a handful of other girls. Sylvia took up the passenger seat beside a blonde, two beers already sitting open in the cup-holders beside her. In the back, Ellie, Evie, Angel shared awkward hellos.

"This is Kathy." Sylvia nodded to the driver. "She's dating Two-Bit."

The girl waved her hand, a cigarette lit in his fingers. "Not dating. Not tonight."

"What happened now?" Angel asked as they raced down the street. "God knows he didn't dump you."

Kathy took a large gulp of beer and Ellie tried to focus on the scenery passing through her window. She was pretty sure drinking and driving was a bad mix, but she didn't want to be the girl to point it out, either. Anyway, wasn't tonight about fitting in, trusting, and risks? Isn't that why she had so reluctantly agreed to being dragged outside? In theory, she could do whatever she wanted in Tulsa and leave a few months later to Chicago, no one the wiser.

"Of course not." Kathy told her, "But it's girl's night and there's no fun in girl's night unless you're single."

"You broke up with him so you could sleep around for a day?" Evie asked dubiously, "That's some high-class shit right there, Kathy."

Kathy flicked her ash out the window and didn't say anything.

"Come on, Katherine." Sylvia coaxed, "Spill the dirt. Did he hit you or something? Do we need to put the claws to this guy's balls?"

Sylvia scratched at the air like a cat. There was a thick, silver ring encircling her thumb loosely.

"I don't understand how Penny can stand him." Kathy growled, stomping on the break as they hit a red light. "All he does is drink and make stupid fucking jokes."

The girls laughed and Ellie smiled politely, as hesitant as ever.

"Kathy!" Angel giggled as they sped across the intersection, "All _you_ do is drink and make stupid jokes!"

Sylvia smirked and took the smoke out of the driver's hand. "You're made for each other, face it."

"Fuck that!" Kathy spat, though she didn't seem so mad any more. "Like hell am I gunna end up with a dead-beat like him."

Sylvia turned around to wink humorously at the girls.

"Kathy's been saying the same shit for three years now." Evie whispered in Ellie's ear, "But I guarantee he'll be the only boy she goes home with tonight."

They sped past the DX, but it seemed that Steve and Soda had gone home for the night. Then Will Rogers High, The Dingo... the city lights began to fade in the rear-view window and Ellie could tell they we'rent headed down town.

"Where are we going, anyway?"

"Bonfire at Jimmy Andrew's backyard." Angel replied. "Almost everyone's going. Even some of the Brumly Boys."

Sylvia turned her head and bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. "Your brother gunna be there?"

Instantly, Angel soured. "Yeah, and so is Dally. You remember him, right? He's the malicious, barbaric, deranged boy you happen to be dating?"

"Rings a bell." Sylvia answered breezily. "But I think I might just take a page out of Kathy's book. After all, girls night just isn't girls night if your being chained down, right?"

Ellie shifted nervously in her seat and stared out the window again. She didn't like the way these girls were talking about sleeping around, especially since they were supposed to be the girlfriends of the boys that had been so kind to her. Well, not so much Dally, but that didn't mean he deserved to be cheated on.

"Sylvia, you slut." Angel hissed, "I swear to god, if you touch any of my brothers I will claw your eyes out. Tim had to go to the ER last year! All because you can't keep your legs closed!"

"Calm down, Jesus." Sylvia turned back to face the wind-shield. "I can't help it if they can't resist me."

Ellie was suddenly very confused. "You sent a boy to the ER by... sleeping with him?"

Another bout of giggles erupted and Ellie blushed furiously.

"No! _Dallas Winston_ sent Tim to the ER. Caught Sylvia in his own bed with him." Evie told her.

"What did he do?" Ellie questioned, eyes wide.

"Took him outside." Sylvia stated. She seemed almost proud of her misadventure. "The switchblades came out almost immediately. They didn't even talk. Tim knows what he did, so he didn't make a fuss about fighting. But I could tell he was concerned about how far Dally would go. He always fights dirty."

"And that's exactly why you won't even _look_ at Tim tonight." Angel stated sternly. She was two years younger, but Ellie was surprised to see the alpha-female shimmering from her as she spoke to Sylvia.

"Wait, your brother is Tim...Shepard?"

Angel instantly sweetened as she turned to chat with Ellie. "Yep! Have you met him?"

The memory of that night where she had found herself in Dallas' lap, his hands on her waist and bum, burned through her head, accompanied with the hazy image of Tim standing at his bedroom door. Not only had Dally been the first boy to ever touch her in a sexual way, but he also still had her brother's weed. She made a mental note to ask for it back... not that she'd _purposely_ look for him that night. Nope. Ellie had decided that Dallas Winston was entirely too much trouble to associate herself with.

"Briefly." Ellie mumbled quietly. But the girls had misunderstood her blush.

"Oh my god!" Evie shrieked loudly. "Do you have a crush on him?"

"No!" Ellie stammered, but it only fuelled the fire

"You so do." Angel crossed her arms over her chest. "I really don't know what you girls see in him. He's such a boring brick, I'm pretty sure he doesn't even have emotions. He doesn't even smile."

Kathy grinned. "That's it, right there. Girls like the mystery."

"I think your confusing idiocy for mystery. He doesn't reveal anything about himself because there is nothing to reveal."

"And don't even act like you wouldn't go for him if he wasn't related to you." Evie shoved her shoulder teasingly.

Angel shoved her back with as much force as her tiny body could muster. "That is revolting!"

Eventually Kathy pulled up to a house just on the outskirts of town. The lot they parked in was already half filled with beat-up trucks and rusty cars, barricading a gang of kids drinking by the porch. Beyond that, a golden glow cast the house in shadows, but Ellie could see the spattering of trees and expanse of fields surrounding the property, eliminated by starlight. Getting out, Ellie immediately regretting ever leaving her room. Her exposed skin combined with the night air had made her erupt in goose-bumps, and it wasn't helping that her heals were sinking into the soft dirt. The other girls seemed to be having the same problems, yet they took it like troopers and didn't complain as they slowly but surely trekked their way to the backyard. Greaser teens swarmed the area, drinking, laughing, flirting, and dancing to the rock music blasting from two open-door trucks. In the middle was a bonfire so big that it could have licked the roof of the house if it was close enough. Even then, a few boys were pouring gasoline and logs into it for kicks.

"God," Evie groaned, "I'm two dozen feet away from the thing, and I'm _still_ sweating like a pig."

Kathy mumbled something under her breath about Evie _being_ a pig, winking impishly at Ellie when they caught each other's eye.

"Oh, there's Steve!" Evie was immediately recharged at the sight of him sauntering over, Two-Bit at his heels with a cigarette hanging from his exasperating smirk.

Steve took Evie in his arms and they kissed so ardently that Ellie had to blush and look away. She always pictured her own kiss –her first one- to be at her front door after dinner and a movie. He'd be a tall blonde and it would be light and airy and she'd dream about it over and over.

"You look…different." Steve told Ellie after he had properly greeted his girlfriend. Somewhere behind them, Two-Bit was arguing with Sylvia and Kathy. Where Angel had disappeared to was a mystery.

Ellie smiled widely and tugged her top up a little. During the car ride she had been subtly unrolling her skirt so that it at least covered her bum. "Thanks? Sylvia got her hands on me."

Evie nodded appreciatively. "She does that to everyone. It's practically a rite of passage for all the newbies. Well, the newbies she likes."

"Welcome to Tulsa, hope you enjoy your stay." Kathy added sarcastically, having decided to ignore her new ex.

"What do you do to the newbies you don't like?" Ellie asked Sylvia.

"Skin them," She stated without missing a beat. "And eat 'em whole."

Two-Bit wandered over to Ellie's side, totally unperturbed from his spat with Kathy. "It's true; I've seen her do it. Can you imagine, Sylvia having a dark- well, _darker_ side?"

He pretended to shiver and then looked down as if he had just discovered Ellie's existence. Ruffling her hair, Two-Bit greeted her with a, "Howdy, Princess."

"That's a new one." Ellie commented, "Usually it's just 'Soc'."

His eyes roved over her body in an entirely uncomfortable way, amplified by Kathy's glower. "Yeah well, Socs certainly don't dress like _that_."

It took all Ellie's might not to cover her chest with her arms and run all the way home. She felt entirely too exposed. Maybe she wouldn't have minded if Two-Bit had given her that look when she was fully dressed, but now she only felt like a piece of meat. "I feel silly."

Two-Bit broke his heated stare-down with Kathy and latched onto Ellie's hand, pulling her closer to the bonfire. "I can fix that. Come on, Princess."

"Where are you taking me, Keith Mathews?" Ellie said, trying to be stern. "It better not be any place secluded, because there is no way I'm doing… things with you just to make Kathy jealous."

Two-Bit turned his head to blink innocently at her. "What things? Oh! You mean getting it on? Go all the way? Nail? Screw? Score? Get down and dirty? Boff? Get Laid? Hide the sausage? Fu-"

"Yes!" Ellie shrieked with a laugh. "Please, don't go on!"

Two-Bit dragged her to the side of one of the trucks and popped open a cooler. "Get your head out of the gutter, you dirty bird. All I'm trying to do is get you drunk."

"I don't really drink." Ellie told him sheepishly, accepting the beer anyway.

"You don't drink at all," Two-Bit corrected her as he took his own. "But you're gunna start."

"Am I now?"

He nodded enthusiastically and placed a hand on his heart. "I've decided to take it upon myself to sully your good girl reputation tonight."

Ellie raised an eyebrow. "But without… what's the word you used? Boff? Without boffing."

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "Alright, alright, I guess I can be flexible." He smirked devilishly, "But then you have to make sacrifices too."

Ellie stared nervously at her drink. "Fine, just a few sips won't hurt me, I guess."

"Dally!" Two-Bit hollered, ignoring her. "Come over here, buddy!"

Ellie looked over her shoulder. Dallas, half hidden by the flames, had been chatting up a girl (that was distinctly not Sylvia) and didn't look too pleased to be interrupted.

"What?" He growled, pausing to get a good look at Ellie as he approached. "Huh. You look different, kiddo."

Ellie flushed deeply and turned away, clutching desperately to her beer can for some kind of support.

"Right?" Two-Bit said, entirely too gleeful. "I've decided to destroy her innocence tonight... not including sex."

Dallas scoffed. "I thought that was the only way to do it."

"The both of you," Two-Bit shook his head tragically, "So filthy-minded."

"Whatever. What do you want, you idiot? And shouldn't you be harassing Kathy into getting back with you right about now?"

"I am." The mischievous boy tilted his head to where Kathy was sitting by the fire. "Don't think I haven't noticed Miss Hawk-eye over there."

Ellie whimpered. "She's going to kill me."

"Nah." Two-Bit said offhandedly. "All right Dally, we're gunna teach our little Soc how to shotgun. Bet they don't show you that at prep school, do they?"

* * *

"Holy shit." Dallas muttered disbelievingly. "Ellie, are you even tipsy?"

She shrugged. "What's it supposed to feel like?"

"Like happiness." Two-Bit told her. Having been pre-drinking since noon, he was already sauced when he arrived. The beer drinking competition they had ended up playing between the three of them hadn't helped either. "And like you just wanna talk and talk and talk and never shut up."

"That's her on a regular day." Dally laughed, pushing himself up onto the cab of the truck they had been leaning on.

"I don't think I'm drunk." Ellie straightened herself with a grin. "I'm impervious to your sullying, Keith Mathews."

He groaned so loudly and theatrically that he got dirty looks from a few passing kids. "You shot gunned two cans! A girl like you should be plastered out of her mind!"

Dallas pointed vaguely to the wet mud at their feet. "Most of it went on her shirt and the floor, actually."

"Well, sorry I'm not an expert on being a party animal." Ellie grumbled, trying to ring the booze out of the edge of her skirt. She didn't think her clothes could cling to her any closer, but she had been wrong.

"Hm," Two-Bit commented, "That's got to be the first sarcastic thing you've ever said."

She let out a breathy laugh. "Maybe I'm a mean drunk."

Dallas dragged the cooler towards him and began to search through it. "Shots. She needs shots."

But before he could stuff any more booze into their systems, Kathy stalked up to Two-Bit and slapped him so hard that Ellie just knew he'd have a swollen cheek by tomorrow. When he straightened, there were two long scratches running the side of his face.

"Hey Katharine, how are you?" He asked, wiping the blood away with the back of his hand.

At once, she exploded in tears and tried to get another hit on him. "You asshole, Keith Mathews!"

"Uh?" Ellie squeaked and nervously dodged the couple, scrambling onto the back of the truck with Dallas where it was safer. "Should we stop them?"

He shook his head. "I'm not going to, are you?"

"Do I look like I could take on that?" Ellie asked, gesturing frantically to her frail body.

"Well," Dallas took out a bottle of cola-colored booze. "To be honest, you look like you couldn't take a strong gust of wind."

"I know, why do you think I have guard dogs?"

Dallas took a short swig and then passed it over to her. "Drink. You're just starting to sound funny."

"I was funny before." Ellie whined, taking a sniff. "Ew! Why does booze have to smell so awful?"

"Shut up and drink."

"Stop trying to get me drunk." She shot back and took a gulp of the liquor purely out of irritation. A fire erupted in the back of her throat and she started coughing heavily. Laughing, he patted her back carelessly and took another swig of the bottle.

"If you need to hurl, it better not be on me, kiddo."

She wasn't sure how long she sat there with him, taking more and more gulps until her throat was burning up so bad that she was sure she'd have to get a new one. The fire had began to dwindle and Two-Bit and Kathy had gone to settle their differences in the house.

"I'm very drunk now." She told Dallas matter-of-factly. "What should I do?"

He bit the inside of his cheek and Ellie's eyes wandered over to his lips- a ghostly sensation of rough fingers sliding briefly against the back of her thighs sent another bout of goose-bumps across her flesh, though this time it wasn't from the cold. Gosh! Why'd he have to grab her in the car that night? Now it was all she could think about! If only another boy (one that wasn't rude and rough and dating Sylvia) would do the same. Maybe she wouldn't be so hung up on Dallas, then.

"After I get drunk I usually get laid." Dally mumbled, "Or get in a fight."

Ellie set her jaw. "I don't think either of those things are on my agenda tonight."

A flirtatious smirk stretched on his face and he wiggled an arm around her waist to pull her closer. "You sure?"

_Don't!_ She wanted to scream, _you're making me too nervous!_ "I'm positive. Anyway, I don't think I'm your type of girl."

"Right." He released her and stood with the bottle in his hands, searching the crowd. "You see that broad I was talkin' to earlier?"

Ellie crawled to the other side of the trunk so she could see a little better. "No. But hey, there's Angle-," She giggled, "I mean, Angel."

Dallas cast a look at her. "Huh. You gunna survive all alone over here, kiddo?"

"What?" She pouted, "You're leaving me for someone who'll put out?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Goddamn, stop pouting. And I'm leaving you to take out my revenge on Tim, who is currently talking up my girl."

Ellie shuffled a little closer to look around the fire pit. Just past the flames, Sylvia could be seen on Tim Shepard's lap, one hand in his hair and the other slowly running down his chest.

"Oh. Revenge away, then."

Dallas hopped down and the truck bounced from the release of weight. Making to leave, he hesitated and then wandered over to stand in front of her. "Don't wander off with any boy you don't know, got it?"

She smiled. "Yes Daddy."

He made a noise in his throat that sounded a bit like a growl. "Don't take any drinks from strangers."

"Yes Daddy."

"And don't drink any more. I ain't taking you to the hospital if you get alcohol poisoning."

"Yes-"

He grumbled again and gave her a dirty look. "Don't call me Daddy. It's creepy."

Ellie erupted in laughter and Dallas sauntered off with an eye roll.

Regularly she didn't like being left alone. But the booze running through her system was doing funny things to her and for now, she was content with sitting there and watching the greaser kids at play. They were so different from her… so untamed and expressional. When they were mad, they fought. When they were happy, they laughed abundantly. When they hurt, they would scream it into the sky. It was like nothing held them back- there was nothing to loose. And perhaps that was the case. If there was one thing she had learned about greasers, it was that almost none of them had any strong parental influences. Maybe they had never been taught the difference between right and wrong, or going too far, or doing too little. Maybe that's why so many of them were drop-outs and jail-birds.

It was near midnight and Ellie was half asleep in the back of a stranger's pickup when Tim grabbed the scruff of Dallas' shirt and dragged him into an open area by the bonfire. She couldn't see very well with the crowd gathering around them, so she crawled unsteadily to her feet just in time to see Dallas deliver a sloppy punch to Tim's face. It was obvious they were both too drunk to cause any real damage, but it was still scary to see the formation of bloody knuckles and broken noses.

"Ellie!" Someone was calling her name, but there were too many faces and everything was a bit blurry at the edges. She could see Sylvia in the crowd, her arms over her chest as she glared at the back of Dally's head.

A pair of hands latched onto her middle and pulled her over the side of the truck. She shrieked.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Two-Bit narrowly avoided her flailing limb, "Settle down, kiddo."

"You scared me!" Ellie defended, "What do you think you're doing?"

The sound of sirens cut through the music.

Kathy grabbed her hand and pulled her farther away from the crowd. "Getting out of here."

They made a path on the edge of the pasture, hidden behind the barricade of cars. She couldn't see any police, but the party was quickly dispersing and there were a few shouts and screams. The front lot was swarming with kids racing to get into their cars and out of there as soon as possible.

"Where the fuck is Dally?" Two-Bit growled as they scrambled into an old truck parked by the edge.

"I saw a cop make a bee-line for him." Kathy said, "Oh wait, there's him now! Turn on the engine!"

Dallas' lip was cut and blood was pouring out from his nose as he threw himself into the trunk. "Drive you fucking idiot!"

Ellie and Kathy gripped each other and the seat as Two-Bit slammed on the petal. He sped onto the road, almost hitting a police cruiser and killing a kid in the process.

"You hanging on there, Dally?" He called once they had made it onto the main road. There were cars full of teens around them as they raced back into Tulsa.

"I think my nose is broken." The boy replied, hunched over with his hand holding onto the side of the truck tightly. "Tim owes me a new shirt, too, the fucker."

"I think that enough with the swearing." Ellie told them as the girls unlatched from each other. "It's making me nauseous."

"That's just the booze, kiddo."

Kathy set Two-Bit with a hard look. "How drunk did you get her?"

Ellie cracked the back window open further for fresh air. Being sandwiched between two bodies in the small cab was making her head spin. "I think I'm dying! What did you guys do to me?"

She watched as Dallas struggled to sit upright at a sharp street corner. The blood gushing from his nose was pouring down into his tee-shirt.

"Quit your whining." He demanded, "It's not like I forced you to drink that Jack."

Kathy gasped. "Jack Daniels? How much crap have you been filling her up with? She's what, a hundred pounds? One beer would have been enough, you morons!"

"Nuh-uh." Two-Bit insisted, slowing down a little once they had entered the suburbs. "This little shit can hold liquor so well, I'm pretty sure she's an alcoholic."

Ellie nudged him. "What ever happened to 'Princess'?"

"I personally liked 'Soc.'" Dallas commented, his voice louder now that the wind had died down.

They pulled up to a rickety old house. From what Ellie could see in the early morning darkness, half the lawn was dirt and the front fence was collapsing.

"You okay to drive, buddy?" Two-Bit asked, already hopping out of the front seat. Manoeuvring around the car, he opened the door for his girlfriend and helped her onto the curb.

"Yeah." Dallas answered shortly, jumping out of the back to take the front seat. Two-Bit was tall and thin, but Dallas was a little broader and Ellie had to shuffle over in order to make space between them.

"Make sure she gets in safely, you got it?" Kathy lectured him, "Don't just drop her off at the front of the house."

Dallas made an expression like he wanted to ram his already bloodied face into the dashboard. Kathy pointed at him threateningly, waiting for him to nod. And then Two-Bit took her hand to pull her away.

"Wait!" Ellie shouted. The overly loud volume of her voice distracted her for a moment and she had to think about what she was going to ask. "Kathy, do you know why Sylvia asked me to come out tonight?"

Kathy crossed her arms over her chest protectively, looking past the girl to study Dally's expression.

"No… Listen Ellie…" Kathy turned her head to look past the row of houses. She was clearly uncomfortable. "Sylvia doesn't ever do things spontaneously. She always has a plan. I suggest you figure out what it is, and quick."

Ellie leaned back on the leather seat and sighed. "And here I thought she just wanted to be friends."

Kathy shook her head seriously. "Sylvia doesn't have friends. She has accomplices and she has victims."

Two-Bit gave her arm a more insistent tug and Kathy finally complied. Dallas pulled away from the curb and Ellie watched the couple stumble up to the door until they were too far away to see. The sun wasn't up yet, but the sky was slowly lightening and the temperature was quickly rising. Ellie watched the houses pass by in a colourful blur.

"Girls are so complicated." She said, mostly to herself.

Dallas let out a little snort. He had been so riled up only an hour ago when he was clashing with Tim and running from the cops. Now he was as calm and content as ever, resting his wrist on the wheel as he rifled through his pockets.

Ellie smiled at the window. "But so are boys."

"Nah," Dallas mumbled distractedly, sticking a cigarette in his mouth. "Hey, look for my lighter, will you?"

After a brief search, she found it jammed between the seats. Dally fiddled with trying to get it to light, but the wind from the open window was making it impossible.

"Here." He threw it back at her, "Light my cig, will you?"

Ellie bit her lip and ran her thumb over the flint wheel but her touch was too light. It took her three more tries until the flame sparked to life. Like Ellie had seen her father do a million times, she leaned over and brought it to the tip of his smoke, shielding it from the breeze. His eyes darted to hers, steely and penetrating, the skin caving in under his sculpted cheekbones as he sucked the flame into the cigarette. The moment the fire caught, Ellie dropped back in her seat, tucking a stray hair out of face and turning back to the window to hide a blush. She needed to stop finding herself alone with him.

* * *

Dallas was hurting head to toe, his vision blurry, and there was no way in hell that he'd admit it. Tim had given him a good few punches, having always been the stronger of the two, but Dally hoped to god that Tim would look just as badly tomorrow morning.

Ellie had drifted off into silence, which he didn't mind so much. It helped him concentrate on the road and made her seem a hell of a lot less annoying. Who would have thought a drunken Ellie made a tolerable Ellie. Hell, she had even cracked a few jokes.

"We're here." Dallas told her, shutting off the engine. Her house had definitely improved over the few months she had lived here. The lawn was cut to an acceptable length and the fence had been replaced. The paint still needed doing, though.

He crawled out, holding onto the door to prevent him from falling onto his face. He was so fucked up.

"Are you okay?" Ellie asked, appearing by his side almost instantly. "You can't drive home like this."

"That's why I ain't gunna." He gestured to the Curtis' house. "I'll crash on their couch."

"I think maybe we should take you to the hospital instead. There's a lot of blood on your shirt."

Dallas slammed the door and straightened up. "Fuck that. I'll be fine."

She bit her lip- another habit that Dally picked up on. "At least let me walk you inside. I don't know how I'd explain your dead body in the middle of the road to the gang."

After a little more grumbling, he let her follow him to the house. He knew from experience that girls never shut up unless they got what they wanted.

"Be quiet." He whispered to her as they stepped inside. The only signs of life inside the house were a few empty beer bottles scattered across the coffee table. She dropped herself into the couch wearily and he went into the bathroom to wash his face and inspect the damage. His nose wasn't as bad as he thought, though he suspected there was more damage inside. His lip was a little swollen and dripping blood. He shrugged. He'd seen and felt worse. He just needed a few hours of sleep and some Tylenol. Or the whole bottle.

When he got back, Ellie was curled up in a ball at the foot of the couch, asleep. The cramped love-seat was looking uninviting so he collapsed onto the other side, ankles crossing past her to rest on the arm.

"Get'cher feet away from me." She moaned.

"If you're awake, then go home." Dallas grumbled quietly.

She unfurled her legs so that they slid up his side, her heels jabbing into his rib. "I'm asleep." She replied drowsily.

Dallas pulled her shoes off and threw them onto the carpet. "Then shut up."

She granted him silence, slinging an arm around his legs loosely and nuzzling her nose into his ankle. It was probably the oddest way he'd ever laid with a girl, and he had half the mind to just force her to sleep properly beside him. Her god-damn breath was tickling his foot.

Dally was almost out himself when she (frustratingly) opened her mouth again. "Dallas? What's sex like?"

He has to shove his arm into his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud and waking up the whole neighbourhood. "What the fuck? Go to bed."

"Dallas!" She cried softly.

He shot up, at the end of his wit, and grabbed a hold of her thighs dragging her underneath him. Leaning in, he whispered gruffly in her ear, "You want me to show you, huh?"

She was undeniably attractive, sprawled out on the sofa with her legs on each side of his hips. Her hair was a mess and her make-up was smudging, but her eyes still held that peculiar liveliness in it and her skin glowed against the morning sunrise. At first he was just trying to scare Ellie into shutting up and leaving, but now he was getting kind of…turned on. He had been trying to score with Angel at the party when Tim hauled him into a fight and now he had a bad case of blue-balls.

Jesus, her skin was soft. And warm.

"Don't." She breathed. "Don't."

He reared back just a little. "Why not?"

Ellie shut her eyes and tilted her head like she was afraid to look at him. "Because I'm drunk."

Just do it, Dallas told himself. She fucking wants it. You fucking need it. But suddenly he felt like some kind of monster looming over her- a mistake waiting to happen. And after that, she'd want more. Ellie wasn't the type you could screw one night and ignore the next. He didn't even think he was capable of a stable relationship. Sometimes things got so rocky with Sylvia that he wasn't always sure whether they were off or on. Plus, the boys would kill him. There was a certain type of girls they never messed with, like cousins and sisters. Somehow, Ellie had elevated herself into that untouchable position.

"You'd regret it." Dally stated, getting off of her. They resettled themselves back into their previous positions.

"Probably."

"So go to sleep, kiddo. If you're lucky, you won't remember a thing in the morning."

* * *

**Ew so corny! I don't know if I like this chapter, after all. Sigh. Anyway, this is actually chapter 6-7, so, that being said, I probably won't post for another two weeks because I have maybe only two more chapters left that are already written... I could have separated them but I didn't really want to leave you guys hanging sooo... Here!**

**Thanks everyone for your reviews! It means a lot when you guys take the time to write them! Trust me, I really, really, really appreciate every word!**

**Remember to review about anything you like or think I need improving on! Or if there's anything you'd like to see happen in the story! Maybe i'll sneak it in...**

**Love ya'll! **


	7. Uptown Girl

9.

Johnny woke up to beautiful silence and nearly cried with joy at the sound.

His parents were likely at work, his mother being a secretary and his father in a factory just outside of Tulsa. They were probably the only non-divorced family in greaser territory and Johnny wished every night that his dad would just get up and never come back. His mom he could handle, as erratic and cold as she was. Even if she didn't love him, he knew she felt some sort of family commitment enough to keep him fed and sheltered.

He flipped over onto his back and groaned. The left side of his back was covered in a deep bruise from hitting the door frame and besides that, he was sore all over. His lumpy mattress wasn't helping either. When he got up, there was red on one of his pillows and a bit of dried blood in his hair.

He hated his dad. Hated him just as much as his dad hated him back. When he was sober and peaceful, he was despicable, and made Johnny sick to his stomach just to see his face, so similar to the one he saw in the mirror. When he was drunk and angry, Johnny didn't even have a strong enough word for the feeling that welled up inside him. He liked to pray to God his father would just die. He knew that wasn't the kind of thing God granted, but He was Johnny's only hope. No one else would do anything about his dad- certainly not him. He was the smallest of the boys; even smaller than Ponyboy, who was only fourteen.

In the shower, he inspected his war wounds, as Dally called them. The one on his back wasn't so bad, though it ran the length of him and then spattered onto his arm. He wouldn't be able to move it much without wincing. The gash in the back if his head didn't seem too deep, but it broke open and started bleeding again when Johnny tried cleaning it. He had to leave his hair under-greased in hopes of keeping it uninfected. There'd be hell to pay if his parents had to take him to a hospital.

Johnny left as soon as he could. Even empty, the house spooked him to no end. It was like the calm before the storm. So naturally he headed towards the Curtis' house. It was only a few streets down, but he walked like he was about to run and he kept his hand on the switch-blade in his pocket. He'd never been jumped before, but he hoped he could give them a good fight if he could.

Johnny slowed down when he could see the house. He loved the gang to bits and knew he would have ended himself long ago if it wasn't for them, but he didn't feel like being treated like some broken puppy today. If he was lucky, he could grab Pony and they could go watch a movie or grab a bite to eat. Ponyboy was probably his best friend, mostly because he didn't talk or act as rough as everyone else. Even if Pony was two years younger and had never been beaten, they saw the world in similar ways and they spent a lot of time talking about stuff that the other boys would consider too sensitive and emotional to mention. When they were hanging out Johnny didn't have to be brave and Pony didn't have to be tough.

If Pony wasn't there, then he'd find Dally. It was different with him. They were complete opposites; Johnny kept out of trouble and never looked for a fight while Dallas could rob a man, steal a car, and set fire to the public library before breakfast -if he could manage to wake himself before noon. Yet they were two peas in a pod. Dally didn't get into too much trouble when they were hanging out because he knew Johnny would rather rot in jail than go home and get the lashing he'd receive if he got arrested. And Johnny didn't feel so nervous and vulnerable in Dally's presence. People looked at him and saw this scary, messed-up hood, but Johnny knew better. Years of torture from his own old man had made Dallas distrustful and cold to a world that was just as cold to him. Truthfully, he didn't exactly understand how they had gotten so close, but if the gang were _like_ his brothers, then Dallas _was_ his brother.

As it turned out, he didn't end up meeting with either one of the boys. Just as he was passing by Ellie's house, she stepped outside and waved to him. She was hiding behind a pair of giant sunglasses and her dress was a cheerful yellow that complemented her hair.

"I'm glad I caught you." She told him with a charming smile. "What are you doing today?"

He shrugged. "Not much. Why?"

She laughed a little nervously and clasped her hands behind her back. "I need someone to come to that diner with me. What was it called? The Dingo? It's just... I'm too scared to go by myself."

Johnny stuck his hands in his pocket and thought. Ellie was easy to speak to, even if she was a bit peculiar. Looking past her cosmopolitan outfits and big hair, she wasn't as unreachable as a regular soc girl. A bit naive and superficial, yes, but playful and endearing as well. What Johnny really liked about her was that she had this way of looking at people that made them feel bigger than life. Like a child admiring a worldly adult.

"I'll pay for you." She added, fidgeting under his blank gaze.

Johnny tried to smile. "Nah, I'll come."

"Cool!" She exclaimed softly, "Do you wanna drive? I have a headache and don't want to use the thinking capacity it takes to drive."

"I don't have my licence." Johnny told her as they approached her green rust-bucket. Was it just him, or did it look even worse than usual?

"Neither does she." Dallas commented, appearing beside him suddenly. His face was mangled up but he didn't seem too mad about it. In fact, Johnny could see an unusual grin forming on his face.

"Oh!" Ellie shrieked at the sound of his voice, swivelled around to look at him. "You!"

"Me." Dallas drawled.

"You... You..." She took a few steps back and fiddled with her keys, red as a tomato. "P-please move your truck. I can't get out of my d-driveway with it here."

Johnny looked rapidly between them, eyes wide.

Dallas pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and took his time exhaling the smoke into the morning air. "Awe, don't be such a blushing virgin, honey. You weren't so coy last night."

"What?" Johnny cut in, completely bewildered. He knew what Dallas was suggesting, but the thought of pure, innocent Ellie hooking up with a hood like him and not being knocked out first was something that was just not capable of happening. "What?"

"I-I..." Ellie clutched her keys tightly, rigid as a broomstick. Even Lady, who had been half asleep on the porch, had picked up her head and was eyeing the scene wearily.

"I'm gunna go to the wash-room really quick." Ellie squeaked, rushing back inside with her dog at her heals.

The moment she was gone, Dallas nearly fell over laughing.

"What did you do to her?" Johnny exclaimed, feeling annoyed. Leave it to Dally to sully an innocent girl like Ellie.

"Nothing, but I don't think she knows that." Dally told him once he had calmed down. "Some of the girls brought her to a party last night and she got a bit drunk. One thing leads to another and she wakes up on the Curtis' couch, tryna' cuddle up to me. Lemme tell you, she got out of there like the house was on fire. Got a good shot of her ass though, with her skirt all ridden up like that. Nice."

Johnny gave him a doubtful look. "Your such a dog, you know?"

Dallas put his hands up and shrugged, a shiteating grin plastered on his face. "Hey, I really didn't touch her, even if she was begging for it."

"You outta leave her alone." Johnny stated as Dallas moved to crawl into his truck. "She's not like Sylvia, you know? She can't handle someone like you."

Dally raised an eyebrow at him. "Got a crush, Johnny?"

"No." Johnny told him, and it was the truth. Even if Ellie was one of the only girls he could talk to without stuttering, she didn't hold that kind of appeal for him. Maybe it was because there was already so much shit swirling around in his life. He didn't have the time or energy to submerge himself in the dramas of relationships. "Do you? You seem awfully keen on making her blush."

Dallas turned on his engine and set him with a cocky look. "Johnnycake, I don't crush on girls. I fuck 'em."

Lighting another cigarette, he continued, "And anyway, even if I was interested, the only way I'd get even close to tapping her is if I had a million dollars in the bank, wore a suit, played golf with her father, and married her."

Ellie didn't emerge from the house until Dallas could be heard ripping down the street.

"I'm never gunna drink again." She stated, keeping an eye on his truck as she came to stand by Johnny once more. "It only leads to trouble."

"Well..." Johnny ran his hand through his un-greased hair awkwardly, fingering his cut to see if it has stopped bleeding. "He said nothing actually happened, so don't worry so much."

Ellie slipped her shades on once more and passed him the keys. "You're driving, okay? I think I might puke."

The dingo was mostly empty on weekend mornings because everyone was catching up on the sleep they had missed the previous night or stuck in a drunk tank.

"Are you hungover?" Johnny asked as they slid into a booth. She still hadn't removed her sunglasses, but he knew from earlier that her eyes were bloodshot.

"That or dying." She answered, propping her chin up with her fist. "It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

Johnny snorted and brought the basket of sugar packets towards him so he could have something to fiddle with. "I bet your gunna tell me you'll never drink ever again?"

"But I really won't!" She insisted, pausing to order a cup of coffee when from the waitress. Johnny ordered a full breakfast, hoping it would fill him up and dull the pain a little. The waitress was back in seconds with Ellie's drink.

Johnny passed her two packets of sugar. "That's what they all say. But hey, maybe you won't. You don't really seem like the type to drink, anyway."

Ellie emptied the packets into the blackened liquid and gestured for more. "I'm not. Truthfully, I'm a bit too... high strung to do anything that I shouldn't be doing." She emptied two more packets of sugar into her coffee and waved for even more. "But I'm also easily roped into things. What's the word for it? Peer pressure? I just hate saying no to people."

She took a long gulp of black coffee and about a pound of sugar. He winced, wondering how she could stomach such a toxic mixture, but she seemed to drink it like water.

"I woke up really early this morning," She explained, "I need something strong to keep me up until tonight. Naps always make me mean and grumpy. Do they do that to you?"

Johnny couldn't remember the last time he took a nap. "You, mean and grumpy?"

Her eyebrows tipped inwardly and did an exaggerated scowl. "Oh, I'm like a street cat when I get mad. _Really_ mad."

He didn't know whether or not she was being serious, so he fiddled with a new more packets of sugar instead.

But Ellie didn't seem to mind all of Johnny's bouts of silence. It only took her a few seconds to get her rattling off again.

"This morning was when I swore to myself I won't ever drink again. I woke up at five am, sick to my stomach, the sun blaring in my eyes, and my mouth like sandpaper. I still feel like that, too. The worst part is, I had my legs wrapped up in Dallas', except my head was by his feet and they stunk like high heaven. Does that boy even know the definition of a shower?" She leaned back, frowning. "Sometimes I really don't like him that much. He's so horrible to me."

Johnny bristled a little. It was his natural instinct when someone talked about anyone in his gang. "Dally's got a rough life. He doesn't get to be happy and nice all the time."

Ellie sat up, gnawing at her lip, and Johnny got that spooky feeling of being watched. He wished she'd just take off those damn shades.

"Your right." She smiled sheepishly, "Anyway, he isn't all mean. He kept me company yesterday after Two-Bit ditched me to make up with Kathy. And he didn't push me into anything last night."

An entirely different feeling came over Johnny then. He didn't want Ellie to assume that there was nothing to Dallas but rough edges, but he was also irritated that she could be so naive as to think that Dally was some kind of secret gentleman. That was the big problem with her- Ellie didn't get the score. Not at all. And it was something you just couldn't teach to someone. She'd have to figure it out the hard way, and that's what he was afraid of.

He tore at the edge of a sugar pack and finally spat out, "Look, all I'm trying to tell you is that Dally is human. He has the capability to be kind and caring and hell, even smart if he had stayed in school. But you can't see him as just that kind of guy. You gotta accept the bad in him too. You gotta accept that he jumps kids, runs with rough guys down town, steals cars, robs corner stores... And that doesn't just apply to him. You think Steve buys all those car parts he has down in the DX? You think Two-Bit is a happy-go-lucky drunk all the time? You think Sodapop hasn't ever jumped a Soc?"

By the time he was done he had run out of breath and Ellie was clutching her mug like it was her life support. He was suddenly glad he didn't have to see her expression under her shades.

"I thought socs jumped you guys?" She whispered.

Johnny tore open the packet and flinched a little at the sound of the bell on the door jingle. When he spoke again, he sounded softer. "Ellie, we're the hoods, the JDs, the criminals. They're just rowdy teens."

An awkwardness settled on them as Ellie contented herself with gulping down her coffee. Johnny's food arrived at the table, but his appetite was long gone. He hated talking so much. Whenever he opened his mouth, it seemed crap fell out.

"You shouldn't scare me like that." She finally stated, much calmer despite the caffeine and sugar rush she was bound to be on. "I understand -sort of- why you told me, and I appreciate it. But what do you want me to do? See the worst in people?"

Johnny shook his head. "No, just forget it."

"You're my only friends." She admitted. "And I won't lie, you all can scare me to bits sometimes, with all the horror stories I hear. But I've never felt unsafe, so who cares?"

Johnny stared at his plate of food for a long time, and then pushed it over to her a little bit. "Want some?"

She contemplated the plate of eggs, toast and bacon for a moment before sighing and taking another chug of her coffee. "I want to, but just know I'll end up hurling it all out in five minutes."

He retracted his breakfast and fiddled uncomfortably with his scrambled eggs.

"So..." Ellie wrapped her hands around her mug and leaned in. "What do you think you'll do after high school?"

Johnny shrugged.

She laughed a little and wagged her finger at him, eyebrow raised. "Oh no! You don't get to clam up after yelling at me just moment before! You have to talk. Especially now that I know you have things to say!"

"I don't really think that far ahead." Johnny admitted. In fact, he wasn't sure if he'd even graduate. He had good grades (not as good as Pony but still better than most greasers) and a good attendance, but his dad had long been complaining about Johnny wasting all their money and he was sure he'd eventually be force into quitting school and getting a job at the factory or something. And even if he did graduate, he wouldn't be able to go to college or university. He knew Darry had had his hopes up for that kind of thing before his parents died, and now he struggled every day trying not to be bitter over giving that up for his brothers. Johnny didn't want to end up like that- with a giant 'what-if' looming over his head for the rest of his life.

"You should." Ellie stated, "You have less than two years to figure it out."

"What about you then?" He asked, "What do you want to be?"

She took another packet of sugar and stirred it in. "That's easy. I'm going to be a wife and mother. Preferably to a rich man. He doesn't have to be particularly handsome, but he has to be nice and wouldn't mind hiring a nanny. I'm pretty awful with children, but maybe it'll be different when they're mine."

Johnny snorted. Ellie was a walking talking cliché, if he'd ever seen one. A true Soc girl with Soc girl ambitions. "So basically, you're planning on being a gold-digger."

"No!" Ellie gasped, "I'd never do that!"

"But that's exactly what you just described. You wanna marry a guy for his money."

She shook her head adamantly. "No, no, no! It's more like... I'm describing the perfect husband. Rich, handsome, nice. Mumsie always says that he needs to be able to take care of me, so I suppose as long as he's middle class, I won't complain. But I'll love him, of course. I'd never be able to marry a man I didn't love, even if he was the king of England!"

With her sunglasses, Johnny couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, but either way he wanted to tell her she was an idiot. But then, was she really? His parents had married out of pure love, but they had also been dead broke and that had eroded at their relationship until it had become nothing but stressful fighting. Maybe Ellie was just ensuring that didn't happen to her. After all, money usually meant happiness.

"Do you think I could snag a royal?" She continued idly, turning to look out the window. "Not a prince, of course, but maybe a duke or... count? Are counts royalty?"

"I dunno." Johnny took a big bite of toast. "But if you're looking for a rich husband, you might want to start hanging out with the Socs more often, 'cause you won't ever find a rich greaser."

"God, Johnny." Ellie frowned and leaned back in her chair. When she spoke, her voice was soft and pleading. "Do you just really want me to stop hanging around, or something? I get it, Okay? You're all rough and tough and I'm just some naive Soc girl that wants to go slumming but doesn't know what she's getting into. Maybe you're right, but maybe you're also wrong, because I haven't met anyone as of yet that has made me feel threatened or even uncomfortable. So who cares if you steal and get into fights? And who cares if you guys aren't rich? God knows my mother will find a husband for me, anyway!"

Johnny chewed slowly and looked out the window. He'd never had such a heated conversation with a girl before. Usually it was just shy glances and awkward one-word responses.

"We should get out of here."

Her hand shot over to latch onto his, a large pout forming on her lips. "Johnnycake, don't be upset. You're killing me with this distrust and indifference, you know?"

Johnny nudged his head towards the window. "No, I mean, we should go because a cop car just pulled in."

If the lot had been sparse before, it was now empty. Even the staff had disappeared inside the kitchen. Except for Penny, who had just gotten in and was too busy hanging up her coat by the door to notice.

"Oh." Ellie breathed, sitting rigid in her booth seat. "What do we do?"

Johnny sat up and fixed his shirt, making sure it covered all his bruises. "It's too late to leave now. Just relax and don't look over. Sometimes a few of them like to come by and cause trouble by hanging out for a bit. It's not too bad as long as they don't notice you or aren't looking for you."

They sat in silence for a few excruciating minutes. Then, two men in uniform came sauntering through the doors, one hand on their belt and the other on their black guns. Penny, finally noticing them, tried to look for a quick getaway but found herself trapped.

"What can I get you?" She asked nervously as they came to the counter. Her voice travelled far in the aerie silence of the diner. It was like everyone was holding their breaths.

"Two bacon and eggs and two coffees." One man told her, staring into Penny's face like he was waiting for some sort of sign that indicated she was liable for arrest.

"Coming right up." She mumbled awkwardly, racing into the kitchen. The cops hung by the front, scanning the diner customers with narrowed eyes. Johnny tried to keep his head low, but Ellie had forgotten what he had told her and was staring blatantly at the men.

"Hey, drink your coffee and let's go." He whisper to her. "And stop looking."

Ellie's locked eyes with him suddenly, her face paling. "Too late."

"Hey, you!" One office called, pushing himself off the counter and moving slowly but deliberately towards them. Though he was strongly built with thick arms, he was obviously close to retirement judging by the salt and pepper of his hair.

"Hello officer." Ellie smiled politely, reaching over to cradle her cup again. Johnny ducked his head over his food and began shovelling it into his mouth, scared to death. He couldn't get arrested. He just couldn't. Even if they slapped handcuffs on him for a few hours and then released him, he'd still get a massive whipping at home. He wouldn't be able to handle that.

The man folded his arms over his chest. "Haven't ever seen you before, girly."

"Yes, well... I am new here."

He gave her a look and then asked in that formal, policing tone, "Name?"

"Elizabeth Carter, sir."

Johnny didn't understand how calm she could be, talking to a cop, but he supposed it was because she had never done anything illegal in her life.

"Carter, huh?" He looked at her even harder, leaning in a bit. "What brings you to Tulsa?"

"My grandmother used to live her with my father. She wanted to come back and spend the rest of her days here, I suppose. I came along."

"Carter, huh?" Patricks repeated slowly. Behind him, his partner turned away from the scene to accept their orders from Penny. The waitress caught eyes with Johnny before she disappeared again, and it was a clear 'get out of here' kind-of expression.

"You ain't related to a certain Daniel Carter, are you?" The police man asked.

"That's my daddy!" Ellie chirped, sitting even straighter. If there was one thing she loved talking about, it was her family. "Did you know him? He used to live here."

The cop tipped his head and guffawed like he was truly amused. "Hell yeah, I knew your father. We go way back. What a fucking piece of shit he was... I just loved arresting him, the way he'd swear and threaten up a storm. Always getting in trouble, running around with that little gang of his, talking about going big. Last time I heard 'bout him, he was moving up to Chicago to expand."

This partner came up and handed Patricks a coffee. He was a dozen years younger and handsomer, and didn't look too mean either. "Sounds like Timothy Shepard."

"Eh," Patricks shrugged and slurped noisily. "There's always one rat in every generation of rats, tryin' 'ta become the real thing."

Ellie had turned white as snow. "I... I think you've confused him for someone else. That's not my daddy. He's an honest man. A business man, in sales."

"No, I don't think so." Patricks scanned her up and down with his eyes, and Johnny felt like punching him in the face for making Ellie squirm uncomfortably. What a goddamn pervert! What did he think he was looking at? Johnny fucking _hated _old dirt-bags like him- like his father. They were all so twisted and sick, and so fucking intent on spreading their sickness into kids like them.

"You look a lot like that trailer trash girl he shacked up with. What's your daddy up to now, anyway? I heard the force up there have been on his ass these past months."

The polite smile on her face had slid off completely by then. She looked livid, even with only half of her face exposed.

With her face tensed up, Ellie hissed bitingly, "If you'd like to question me about my father, I'll be glad to give you the contact information to my family's attorneys."

Johnny could have dropped out of his seat laughing until he cried. Even with her hands shaking and her face as pale as a hospital wall, Ellie had managed to say the most Soc-esque sentence ever uttered in East Tulsa. But shit did she sound _tuff_.

"Come on, Johnny." She said next, digging out her purse and scattering a few dollars on the table. "Let's go."

The police men didn't even try to stop them, though Patricks had that shitty smirk still smeared across his face. At least his partner had the decency to look uncomfortable. Johnny guessed they knew when to quit it. Talking bad about her family had set off Ellie like a fuse, and when girls got mad, it was like trying to control a hurricane.

He could tell that it took all her effort not to speed out of the parking lot. She was squeezing the wheel, her face still hidden by those big shades.

"What's that guy's problem?" She whined irritably, "He doesn't know anything about my family!"

Johnny kept his eyes glued on the road and his lips sealed shut.

"Gosh! Just because he grew up on the bad side of town doesn't mean he was a hoodlum! And it doesn't mean he's off in Chicago, playing around in a gang! He sits around in an office all day, for crying out loud!"

She couldn't swear even when she was livid, Johnny noticed with a sense of amusement.

"Ellie." Johnny intercepted softly. "You're speeding."

She smiled sheepishly and eased up on the peddle. "Sorry. I get so worked up sometimes. My mum says I always feel too much. Either I'm too happy, or too sad, or too mad. Oh, and that's another thing! Where does he get off, calling my mother trash?"

She went on and off like this all the way home, but by the time they pulled into her driveway, she had convinced herself to settle down.

"He was probably just trying to rile me up." She said, following him out onto the road. "Some people are just so rude."

"Cops are just like that with us. It's like he said. We're all just rats to them, waiting to be caught." Johnny told her offhandedly, scanning the Curtis' yard for any of the boys. He was running out of cigarettes and he hated lifting by himself.

"That's not fair." Ellie stated, but she didn't say any further on the matter. He could tell she was thinking things over in her head.

"You wanna come hang out with some of the boys?" Johnny asked, feeling a little bad for wanting to ditch her after she had paid for his meal. He was always depending on his friends for things like that because him parents never gave him cash and he didn't have a job. He used to swear he'd pay them all back one day, but the dept just started racking up so high that now all he could do was be grateful.

"It's okay." Ellie pushed up her sunglasses so they rested on her head. Her eyes were just a little less bloodshot and that excited, friendly smile was back on her face. "I think I'll maybe take another long shower and write a strongly worded letter to myself about the dangers of drinking."

Johnny snorted. "You're nuts."

He made to leave but without warning Ellie had him in a bone-crushing hug that dug straight into his bruises.

"Thanks for coming to breakfast with me, Johnnycake." She giggled, letting go. "And for warning me about all you big bad hoods. But I think I'll stick around for a little bit longer, if you don't mind. Anyway, you and Ponyboy couldn't hurt a fly if it was the size of a grizzly bear and was trying to eat you, so iIm not so concerned."

"You're nuts." He said once more, feeling a smile tug at the corners of his lips. "I'll show you. One day you'll see the rough and tough side of me and you'll cower in your little heals."

"What's that I hear?" Ellie asked, putting a hand to her ear for affect. "Did Johnny just make a joke? I thought you were the strong, serious, silent type."

"Oh, go sleep off your hangover." Johnny grumbled jokingly, waving his hand.

"See you later, Hood!" She called after him. "And Johnny?"

He turned his head, already halfway to the other house. "Yeah, Soc?"

Though she was farther away, he could still see the softness in her face. "Put some ice on it. And I heard vinegar and sunlight helps, too."

* * *

**Not really a prime chapter, but awe man, I fuckin' love Johnny! I dunno if you're all wondering why I put a Johnny POV in a Dallas/OC story, but this is a story about friendship as much as it is about romance! Anyway, I think Ellie and Johnny have a lot in common, and eventually they'll be two of the most important people to Dallas so naturally they'll become very close as well. Saying that, Johnny and Ellie will not ever date or anything. I hope I've made that pretty clear in the story that they're just friends. Anyway! Sorry this chapter doesn't have much Dallas in it, but there are going to be other things happening and I needed to build up to it (HINT HINT). Don't worry though, I want Dallas and Ellie to just goddamn get it on already, too.**

**Anyway, next one involves school, Soc boys, some Ponyboy, some Johnny, and a little end-of-chapter surprise!**

**Once again, thank you guys so much for the reviews, and I look forward to even more! I'm really glad that a lot of you found that I had the character's personalities down! Honestly, I haven't read the book since I was thirteen, so... haha... But, yeah! **

_**Thank you so much for the reviews and the follows and favourites! Remember to write about what I need to improve on, what you think is great, and if there's anything you'd like for me to add into the story! Hope you had a happy Easter! Love ya'll!**_


	8. Come a Little Closer

8.

"It's King Louis the Fourteenth." Ellie stated without looking up from her notes. "That's the answer for question ten."

"But..." Johnny flipped through a few pages of his textbook, confusion etched into his features. "I could have sworn it said Louis the Fifteenth."

Ellie shook her head and pointed to a few italic words written under a picture of a black-haired king. "Nope. See, the XIV means fourteenth. Louis the Fifteenth was Louis 'The Beloved'. He became King when he was still really young. Louis the Fourteenth build Versalles. He's the 'Sun King'."

Two-Bit scratched his head and hiked his feet up onto the library table. "Why the hell did they all get named Louis? Couldn't they think of more than one name? Did they ever get confused?"

Ellie pushed his feet away from her papers and back onto the floor. "You're gunna get us kicked out..."

They were jammed in the farthest corner of the school library, away from prying eyes because the boys thought it would damage their reputation to be seen studying during lunch. Ellie had complained about their seating choice (it was beside a garbage can and she felt smushed between the wall and a giant shelf) but had complied anyway. She really needed to learn how to say no.

"Good." Two-Bit grumbled, pulling out a comb to fix up his hair. He had gone to sleep with it wet and a few strands on the back kept sticking up. "No right-minded greaser should ever be seen in a library, anyway."

Johnny glanced at Ellie's well written notes before jotting a few sentences down on his own paper. He had been passing his tests with ease, so Ellie didn't mind so much if he stole a few answers from her. Two-But was a different matter.

"You're failing history, Two-Bit." Johnny told him diplomatically. "It'd do you some good, and you should be grateful that Ellie's bothering to help us."

Two-Bit sunk down in his wooden chair. "Jesus, Johnnycake. Have you been hanging out with my mom and sister lately? Because you sound exactly like them."

"Oh yeah." Johnny went back to his textbook. "They're my best friends, don't you know? We sit around the kitchen table all the time, complaining about _you_."

Ponyboy interrupted them by dropping a large stack of books on the table.

"All of these?" Ellie squeaked, her eyes turning into saucers as she gawked at the tower. "When I asked if you could recommend any good books, I only meant one or two!"

Pony patted the top novel affectionately. "I know, but I couldn't decide so I just grabbed my top ten." "

Wait, wait wait." Two-Bit sat up. "You have a list of most favourite books? Hell, I can't even think of my first favourite!"

Pony sent him a scathing look before nudging the stack towards Ellie. "Pick one."

Ellie put down her pen and ran her finger down their spines, whispering the titles. "How To Kill A Mocking Bird, Catcher In The Rye, Great Expectations, Lord of The Flies... You've read all of these?"

"And more." Pony told her, standing straight with pride.

"There isn't a book in this whole library he hasn't read." Johnny commented, "The librarians know him personally- that's how much he comes here."

"That's Pony for you." Two-Bit interjected absent-mindedly, fiddling with his lighter. "Greaser on the outside, nerd in the inside."

Pony scowled and went through the stack once more. "Not all of us can be as illiterate as you, Two-Bit."

The older boy looked up with a glare. School must have been a sensitive subject with him, because he didn't look at all pleased to be called stupid. Maybe that's why he had stayed in school for so long without dropping out- maybe he really _was_ trying...

"Do you have anything with romance?" Ellie inserted quickly, seeing the heat rise up between them. She sensed that Pony _often_ said things that pushed other people's buttons.

The youngest boy picked at the edge of a fraying book cover, his ears turning pink. "No."

She tipped her head to the side. "Do you know any? I love romance books."

Two-Bit nudged her a little and smirked, the tension between Pony and himself already forgotten. "Why do you need a love story when you got me, huh?"

"Oh, Two-Bit." Ellie sighed tiredly, "Don't lead me on. I don't think my poor heart could take it."

Pony nudged his head and she got up, following him into the shelves. Will Rogers high school's library had only a small fiction area, tucked neatly in the back with six rows in total. There didn't seem to be many students in this particular section- probably because there was a bigger, more equipped library a few blocks down from the school. Ponyboy navigated through the rows with precision, his eyes trained into the titles and author names.

"Here. I've never read it, but..." Pony shrugged and handed her a paperback book from the shelf. The cover was mustard yellow, fading into white near the bottom. '_Gone With The Wind_' was written in brown, wild-west print. "I think there's romance in this... I can't remember."

"Oh, I've always wanted to read this!" Ellie gasped, snatching it out of his hands. She thumbed through it briefly; it was thicker than the books she usually read. "I loved the movie!"

Pony let out a little smile. "Figures. You're such a girl, Ellie."

She smacked him lightly over the head with the book, rolling her eyes. "I wonder why!"

Pony ducked away with a laugh. _He's handsome when he's happy,_ Ellie thought as they wandered through the isles, _but it's too bad he has a habit of becoming broody._

"You look like you're brother when you smile." Ellie told him, reaching over to pinch his cheek despite him being twice her size. "It's so adorable."

He ducked away once more, scowling. "Ugh! Don't do that!"

"Oh?" Ellie giggled, poking him in his side. She wondered if this was what it would be like when her baby brother would he old enough to tease. Really, Pony was only a few years younger than her and more mature than people gave him credit for, but he was still a kid compared to the rest of the boys. Anyway, he was a riot to tease. "Why not?"

He twisted away, backing right into a shelf and knocking three rows of heavy books down. They fell like a waterfall, smacking noisily against the linoleum. A few pages tore from their spines and scattered across the floor, while other books became crumpled and crushed under the mess.

Pony looked petrified for a brief moment, his eyes darting from the disaster-zone and then to the end of the rows where the librarian desk sat. From where they stood, they could see a few students and teachers look over to investigate the source of the noise.

"Every man for himself!" Ellie whispered hurriedly, skipping into a different isle. Pony glanced at the books once more and then raced after her.

"You're gunna get me in trouble!" He hissed as they walked briskly through the rows, a notch under a run.

"For knocking a few books down?" Ellie stopped in front of the biology section, a mischievous smile on her face. There was a few students milling around in the narrow space, scanning through books on genetics. A few of them were in her class and she wondered if there was a test she hadn't heard about. "You'd just get a talking-to."

"Ellie." Ponyboy ground out, shaking his head. "I'm beginning to regret ever speaking to you. And when did you become so... rebellious? I figure you to be the type to clean the mess up and beg for forgiveness."

"That's certainly the right thing to do… yet here I am. Have you ever thought that perhaps I'm just a big old coward?"

Pony scoffed. "Yeah, I got that vibe when you ran away."

Ellie crossed her arms over her chest and made a comically mean face.

"Well," She barked in a deep voice, "It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, Ponyboy."

He gasped, "Wow, Ellie! You're the toughest, most street-wise hood I've ever met! I can't believe I didn't see it before! You should definitely come to the next rumble- I bet you'd kick ass!"

She let a smug grin curl at the ends of her lips.

"Don't underestimate me!" She sang, bopping him playfully on the nose with the spine of Gone With The Wind.

"Gah! Stop it!" Ponyboy flushed a few Socs turned to glare at them.

Ellie put her hands up defensively. "Careful, we wouldn't want you to knock any more shelves over, Clumsy."

Pony growled and swung a fist at her arm. "You're such a pain in the ass, you know?"

She gasped and grabbed her now aching limb, pretending to be greatly insulted as she smothered her laughter. "Did you just hit me?"

"I forgot you were a chick." Pony muttered, staring at her arm with wide eyes. He took a step closer and patted her unharmed arm awkwardly. "Sorry?"

Ellie would have started to giggle at his expression if a big, burly Soc hadn't come up and jammed himself in-between the two. He had honey hair, green eyes, and a good six feet of height on him. Ellie could easily tell he was just above middle-class with the way he dressed and walked and held himself. He must have belonged to the football team as well, with all that muscle.

He set Ponyboy with a stern look and asked her, "Is this guy bothering you?"

Ellie thought Pony would try to explain himself. That was what would be logical, and Pony was a smart, peaceful kid. What she didn't expect was for him to stand straighter and cross him arms over his chest, challenging the Soc with a hard, cool stare.

"This isn't any of your business." Pony grumbled with his hands in fists, skin stretched white over his knuckles. Suddenly he didn't look like regular Ponyboy; standing there was a real greaser kid with that greaser recklessness running through his blood. He didn't look like he was ready to fight, but Ellie could see him building a wall of hostility around himself.

"Walk away." He grumbled lowly.

"It's my business if I see you harassing a girl." The Soc threw back, matching Pony's stance.

Ellie, feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable, lifted her hand shyly and said, "Um, it's okay, really-"

"Go back to your books." Pony demanded, interrupting Ellie. Though the whole dilemma had started because of her, the two boys seemed to be more content in winning their stare-off to hear anything she said. What was wrong with them? It wasn't if anyone had done anything! Was a misunderstanding really a reason to fight? Was the tension between Socs and Greasers so heavy that it could change Pony, soft and dreamy, into someone who started brawls in a school library?

"I'm not going to stand by and watch you-" The boy started.

Without dropping his glare, Ellie watched Pony take a heavy old book from the shelf and swung it effortlessly in his hand so he could have a better grip.

"You threatening me?" He asked, quiet and dangerous.

"Pony..." Ellie whined lowly, putting a hand on his shoulder. She had never seen him so unruly and impassive before and it was frightening her. She expected it from tough kids like Dallas or even Two-Bit, but Pony was supposed to be different- he was shy and kind, not vicious... Then, finally, he looked down at her and she could recognize the shaky bravery underneath his anger... He was just trying to protect himself.

"I'm fine." She told the other boy with resolve. "Pony would never hurt me."

Pony let her take the book from his hand and put it back onto the shelf before leading him away. She kept a firm grip on his arm as they travelled quickly to the table, scared he'd turn back and really start a fight. He was still so tense under her fingers, even when the other boy had turned away.

"I shouldn't have done that." Pony sighed as their table came into view. "I could have gotten suspended. I'm such an idiot."

Ellie shook her head. "No you're not, Pony."

Pony ran his palm over his greased up hair. "But I really am, Ellie. I'm alright with studying and books, sure, but I can never think of the right thing to do in situations like that. What if he decided to fight me? I would'a gotten my ass kicked! Not to mention the shit I'd get into with Darry."

Two-Bit, who was half asleep in his chair by the time they came back, woke quickly at the sound of their approach. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned. "Jesus, where did you go? China? You were gone for twenty minutes."

"_Who_ would have kicked your ass?" Johnny asked quietly, looking up from his papers.

Ellie and Ponyboy sat down in their seats again, but she didn't feel like doing any more homework. The bell was scheduled to ring in a few minutes, and only half her essay on the French monarchy was done. With a glance at Johnny's own work, she was crestfallen to see that he had finished.

"Some boy thought Pony was beating on me." Ellie told him.

"_Pony_?" Two-Bit snorted, grabbing the young boy's shoulder and giving him a little shake. "You can't hit girls, buddy. Well, unless they ask for it."

Ellie gasped, outraged at his insensitivity. "Keith Mathews! No girl is ever asking to be hit, no matter what she does!"

With a sleazy grin, Two-Bit released Pony and slung an arm around her instead, pulling so that her side was flush against his and he could mutter in her ear, "Some girls really do ask for it... in bed, if you know what I mean."

Ellie reared away, utterly shocked and disgusted. "W-What?" She squealed, "No, I don't know what you mean!"

Johnny and Pony, who had been watching with mild irritation, rolled their eyes and got up as the school bell rang to signal the end of lunch.

"You will one day, Princess." Two-Bit added solemnly, placing a hand over his heart for affect.

Ellie gave him a horrified look just as Johnny managed to pry her away.

"It's like everyone has forgotten that I'm an innocent young lady." Ellie sighed, following her friend down the hall. It seemed as if every day she was being assaulted by some sort of new, discomforting reality. In many ways, she missed those years at her all-girls school where she could be protected and ignorant without consequence. But in other ways, being exposed to the world like she had never been before was like being locked up her whole life and finally taking a breath of fresh, outside air.

"I thought after that party you became a greaser girl." Johnny said, leading them both into their history classroom. They had arrived early, and only a few girls in the front row were occupying seats.

Sitting down in their usual spot near the back and by the windows, Ellie took out her books and dropped them onto her desk with a sense of surly attitude. "What night? What party? I have no idea what you're talking about-"

Johnny shrugged and swung his backpack onto his table so that he could get out his own supplies. "I could have sworn you went to a party with Sylvia's gang."

"Nope." Ellie shook her head and prayed for the class to start. Students were filing in more steadily, but the teacher had yet to arrive.

"No?" He looked up, tapping the tip of his pencil on his chin as he thought. "Are you sure? I very distinctly remembering hearing about you getting drunk and then... hm... Something about you and Dally cuddling on Pony's couch?"

Ellie blanched. Her heart was beating so strongly in her chest she was sure the whole room could hear it. "C-cuddling? We weren't cuddling!"

Johnny looked taken back. "You did _more_ than cuddling?"

"Johnny!" Ellie cried softly, covering her red face with her hands. "Can't you boys take five minutes out of the day to _not_ tease me?"

He had the decency to look a little apologetic, running a hand through his hair sheepishly. "Sorry... But you're just so easy to rile up."

"You boys are unbearable." Ellie grumbled as the teacher came in and dropped her bag on the front desk.

Miss Avandi was old and had a face full of wrinkles and warts, but she was generally kind on a good day, and uncaring on a bad one. She was five years overdue for retirement.

"Open up to chapter five and answer the ten questions at the end." She groaned, falling into her chair. She dropped her head into her hand and closed her eyes, appearing like she was about to fall asleep.

Ellie and Johnny exchanged a look, shrugged, and opened their textbooks. She was glad to have a little bit of a break away from conversation- it gave her a chance to cool the fire in her cheeks. Did _everyone_ know what happened that night? Everyone but her? All she could remember was waking up, straddling Dally's legs and drooling on his jeans with her skirt so high it exposed everything. How could she have allowed that to happen? Even if nothing major had occurred, it was still much more than she was ever willing to offer a man, let alone Dallas Winston. Johnny had been right; maybe he as nice _sometimes_, but he was still a dangerous hood that wouldn't give a hoot about her heart if she gave it to him. She needed to take a step back, or several steps, until she found the Ellie buried deep inside her that wouldn't dare touch a boy that her father hadn't done a full background check on first.

She would stay a good distance away from him from now on.

She would talk to _different_ boys. Boys her mother would approve of. Smart, charming, non-swearing boys.

Ellie looked up and glanced around the room, but there was slim pickings in her history class- wait, was that the guy in the library that had yelled at Pony? It was. His back was to her, but she recognised the green collared shirt, his beautiful oat hair, and all that gosh-darn muscle. In a few years, he'd be as big as Darry, surely.

"When did he join our class?" Ellie whispered to Johnny, "Is he new?"

Johnny jumped, having fallen asleep with his face plastered to the textbook. "Huh? Who?"

She pursed her lips and nudged her head towards Library Boy. "Him."

He rubbed his eyes and tried and failed to fix the mop of hair on his head. He hadn't greased it back in a few weeks on account of a nasty cut she had spotted that day at the diner, but it didn't look particularly bad on him.

Glancing lazily at Library Boy, Johnny shrugged. "He's been here since freshman year… and I'm pretty sure you were partnered up with him for that little survey we had to do in class that one time?"

Ellie narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. "Was I? We get paired up so often…"

"Yeah," Johnny snorted, "But he was too busy blushing at you to mention his name, let alone actually speak."

"Really!" Ellie gasped, utterly surprised. A boy that thought she was pretty enough to be shy around? She stared penetratingly at his back for the rest of class, wondering what was going on in his head. Did he still think she was cute? Did he want to ask her on a date? Would she say yes? Was he smart? Was he handsome? Yes, yes she supposed he was, in an all-American way. But was he nice? Was he wealthy? Could she fall asleep on a couch with him without wondering if she had been violated the next morning? She could bet Library Boy didn't swear, either.

"Wow." Ellie muttered, half an hour later.

Johnny shot up again.

"A boy that_ likes_ me."

"Girls," He muttered, rolling his eyes, "Always obsessing over every little thing."

Ellie pouted and leaned back, ripping her eyes away from one boy to the other. "Oh, hush-up and let me have my moment. Anyway, what do you know about girls? You've never even dated one."

"Have you ever dated a boy?"

"Touché."

When the bell rang once more, Ellie made sure to catch Library Boy's gaze and smile. To her great delight, he gave a shy, awkward smile back. He really _was_ handsome, though his rosy cheeks and boyish face made him look eons younger than his muscles implied.

She was equally happy when he moved to speak to her as they entered the hall.

"Uh, hi." He muttered, glancing down at his shoes and then back at her nervously. "Sorry about that in the library. I can get awfully riled up sometimes."

Johnny wavered uncomfortably on the sidelines before deciding to head off. He patted Ellie's arm in goodbye and then headed towards his locker on the first floor.

Ellie brushed her hands over her skirt to straighten it out. "Oh! It wasn't such a big deal, anyhow. It was sweet of you to come to my rescue, though. Even if I didn't need it."

"It didn't look like you were alright." Library Boy leaned down a little, searching her face for… something. "You don't have to hang out with those types of kids, you know."

Taking a step back, she shrugged and tried to place confidence on her face. "What do you mean, 'those type of kids'? Ponyboy's a sweetheart. We were only fooling around."

"Right." Library Boy nodded, his face turning even redder. She wondered how he could have had so much confidence confronting Pony, when he had trouble even finishing his sentences with her. It must have been because Pony was still a freshman.

"I'm Ben." He blurted out after a beat of silence, sticking out his hand automatically.

Ellie laughed, not cruelly, but at the way he was so flustered, and shook his offered hand. "I'm Ellie."

"C-can I maybe walk you to your next class?" Ben asked, running a hand through his hair. Her heart fluttered at the sight of it- she definitely had a thing for blondes.

She moved to walk a little closer, grinning up at him. He was so much taller than her- it would look a little funny if they kissed, with him leaning down so far.

"Sure! But could we stop by at my locker first?"

They chatted as they made their way down the stairs, mostly about school and the classes they were taking. Ben was funny, soft-hearted, and on the honor-roll. Ellie found herself gently attracted to his shyness and the flustered, awed looks he gave her when he thought she wasn't looking.

Truth be told, she was a little peeved to see Pony, Johnny, and Two-Bit crowded around her locker. And she was even more annoyed to see Dally there, denting the metal door with his shoulder.

"Uh…" Ellie squeaked under their penetrating gazes. "Maybe you should walk me to class tomorrow. I just remembered I have to talk to Johnny about… a project."

Ben had pulled up that tough-guy vibe once more, standing to his full height as he accepted the boys challenge to a stare-off. "Are you sure? I don't mind waiting for you."

Somehow the thought of having the boys meeting Ben seemed terrifying. Besides, she doubted they'd get along. Socs and Greasers didn't mix, she had to remind herself for the millionth time.

"Yeah!" She reached up and squeezed his bulging forearm affectionately. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? It was really nice meeting you!"

She stepped away before he could make any more protests. She'd make progress with him later on, when the boys weren't breathing down her neck.

They were all giving her funny looks as she walked up to them.

"What?" She asked, beet red.

"Who's the meat-head?" Two-Bit asked with a teasing nudge to her side, "Your new boyfriend?"

"N-no!" Ellie stuttered, forcing herself to look up and gesture for Dallas to scoot of her way. He gave her an intimidating look before grudgingly moving to let her at her lock. "And his name is Ben, not 'meat-head'."

"O-o-o-o-oh," Dallas mocked, wiggling his eyebrows at her, "First name basis. Don't go too fast now, kiddo. Men like it when you play hard."

She fumbled nervously with her lock, cursing it for being so temperamental. It was a struggle to open, and it was even more of a struggle not to recall blurry memories of asking Dallas intimate questions, clinging onto his legs. She hadn't been playing very hard _then_.

It seemed every little moment she had with Dallas was fitted for deep repression.

"Well that's good then," Ellie muttered uncomfortably, "Because we were just talking."

"Wasn't that the guy that tried to bash my brains out at the library?" Pony asked, watching Ben saunter down the hall to meet a few of his friends.

She shook her head fervently. "Nope!"

"Yes it is…" Ponyboy insisted, "He was gunna beat the crud out of me, and you decided to chat him up?"

Ellie finally managed to open her locker and occupied herself with gathering her books instead of looking at any of them directly. "He was not going to beat you up. Anyway, it wasn't like you were being very reasonable either."

Pony pointed to himself, frustration evident in his face. "He came up to _me_! I didn't even look at him-"

"He thought you were hurting me!" She defended sulkily, "And he's really not so bad. Anyway! Why are you all hanging around my locker, looking like a pack of hungry wolves?"

Johnny jammed his hands into his jean-jacket pockets and stared at his shoes. "I may have let slip that you were being picked up…"

"By a Soc." Ponyboy added, "And Two-Bit and Dally wanted to see what he looked like-"

Dallas straightened. "Yeah. Wanted to see what the face of a desperate idiot looked like."

Ellie felt that sinking feeling drop in her chest at his words and the boys immediately caught her crestfallen expression.

"Dally…" Johnny muttered with nervous disapproval, "Come on, man…"

He shrugged and Ellie felt as if she could cry from embarrassment. It shouldn't matter what he said about her! She wished desperately that they'd just drop it and move on.

Two-Bit crossed his arms over his chest and set the other boy with a hard look. "You ought to apologize."

"Oh, fuck off Two-Bit." Dallas growled. Turning to Ellie, he ruffled her hair until strands of it fluffed up into her face. "The little Princess should know I'm only fucking joking."

Johnny left his spot beside Two-Bit to clap Ellie on the shoulder. He had been looking tensely at the two boys before breaking into a snort. "That's as close to an apology as you'll ever get from Dallas Winston, kiddo. Better relish the moment."

Feeling a smile rise up on her face, Ellie fixed her hair the best she could and readjusted her books in her hands. "Awe, I forgive you Dallas!"

He responded by ruffling her hair again; this time so roughly that she had to duck away before he gave her dreadlocks.

"I change my mind!" She squealed, still laughing. "You are unforgivable!"

The other boys watched on with amusement.

"You've caught him on a good day." Two-Bit explained, "Any other day, he'd be bitching up a storm about being told off."

Dallas resumed his resting position against Ellie's locker and pointed a finger at the joker of the group. "Watch it, Mathews. I ain't in _that_ great of a mood."

Two-Bit ignored him. "Dallas always gets annoyingly happy and energetic when rodeo season comes around."

"'Cause he gets paid." Johnny said.

"Oh right," Ellie nodded thoughtfully, "I remember, you're a jockey."

Dally nodded. "For Slash J. And I do bull riding, if I can risk the injury."

She tried to picture him racing on a horse next to all those small men and figured he was probably the biggest, slowest jockey ever. Bull riding, however, seemed like the perfect kind of job for such a rough kid.

"I've never been to a rodeo." She said idly, wondering if she was going to be late to class if she hung around any longer. It occurred to her then that Dallas didn't even go to school with them.

"There's one this weekend." Ponyboy told her, his eyes roaming the now nearly empty halls, probably thinking he'd be late to class as well.

Two-Bit perked up and threw his arm over her shoulder. "Hey, yeah! You should come! Maybe there's some cowgirl hidden deep inside you, waiting to be set free."

Dallas popped a cigarette between his lips and assessed Ellie briefly. He always seemed to be doing that- running his eyes over her every so often like he was making sure she was still that random Soc girl that tagged along with his gang. "Doubt it."

"I'll come." She answered, purely because she knew Dallas didn't really want her to. A twinge of spiteful glee sparked in her to see him frown at her words. Maybe she'd even go dressed up as a cowgirl, ignoring the mud that was bound to cling onto her expensive boots and keeping her complaints about animal cruelty to herself.

That would show Dallas Winston… show him what, she wasn't exactly sure. But it would definitely show him.

Ellie and Ponyboy rolled the car windows all the way down on the way home, hoping a breeze would cool the sauna her vehicle had become after a long day sitting in the parking lot.

"You need to set this beast on fire." Pony moaned at the sound of her breaks squealing. "Because I'm about one hundred percent sure it's possessed."

"Would you rather walk?"

Pony crossed his arms and sunk down in his seat so no one could spot him in such a broken down car. He was always so embarrassed by it, but it was eons better than getting harassed on the street.

Ellie tapped her fingers on the wheel to the beat of some crappy song. "So… you're not mad that I was talking to Ben, right? I mean… that stuff in the library was just a misunderstanding…"

"Whatever." Pony sighed, "I just… I can't stand how our kind are always the ones portrayed as these scummy, girl-beating, criminal dirt-bags when Soc boys cruise around here all the time, finding lone chicks and sticking their fucking hands all over them."

Ellie shifted uncomfortably, keeping her gaze on the road. "But… not all of them are the same, right? I mean, Ben wouldn't… he wouldn't do that…"

Pony shrugged. "Whatever. Whose car is that?"

They had pulled into their street and inside of Ellie's driveway was a shiny red convertible, much nicer than any of the cars seen in East Tulsa. Ponyboy sat up in his seat to get a clearer look at it, mouth agape.

He nearly broke his neck from whiplash when Ellie slammed on the breaks, parking messily by the curb. Without so much as a goodbye, she hurtled inside, ignoring the smouldering heat coming from the thermostat. Her grandmother had been having bouts of cold-flashes lately so Ellie had been suffered right along with her.

"Daddy!" She shrieked, pouncing onto the back of the man standing in her living room.

* * *

**I KNOW I KNOW, WHY WAS THERE LIKE, ZERO DALLAS/ELLIE ACTION? I'm super sorry, I promise next chapter will have a really good one... involving rodeos and embarrassing fathers. It'll be great. I'm just crazy tired rn and this week has been hectic as hell with work and school and grad etc so bear with me homies. I know this is a slow ass burn but... I have a lot of good shit planned for when they get closer (wink wink). Also sorry if writing quality is shit. I really half-ass edited this chap because I'm sleeeppyy.**

**Also, if you guys haven't noticed, the names to the chapters are songs that I think go with this fic. Just an FYI haha. This ones 'Come a Little Closer' by Cage the Elephant. You should check it out.  
**

**I love and live off reviews! So review! Please! On the good, the bad, what you like, what you hate... and if you have anything you think I should add... REVIEW! Or i'll kill Ellie off at the end. KIDDING! Haha...**

**See you next week my lovely lovelies!**


	9. King of the Rodeo

9.

Dust plumed up behind her father's convertible as they raced down the rural road. The weather was perfect; much cooler than usual with a pleasant breeze that kept Ellie from turning out like a sweaty pig.

"You look happy." Ellie's father, Daniel, commented from his position in the driver's seat. "Didn't think I'd ever see you excited to go to a county rodeo of all places."

Ellie reached up and swung her French-braid over her shoulder playfully. "Well, I'm a changed person now, Daddy. I'm rugged and such."

She thought of telling him all the things she had been up to, like going to a party and drinking. She wasn't used to keeping secrets from him; they had always been so close and she had never done anything that she couldn't tell him about before. But instinct kept her mouth shut and she was surprised to find herself without that guilty feeling. It wasn't as if she had done anything _too_ rebellious.

"Uh huh." He hummed, "Is that why you insisted on buying a whole new outfit? Because you've become too rough and tough for your usual dresses?"

The day after her father had arrived, she had practically forced him into taking her shopping. It had taken a long time and a lot of arguing before he had allowed her to buy a pair of cowboy boots and a red, checkered, button-up, sleeveless shirt. Jeans, however, was where Daniel put his foot down, so Ellie had opted for a pleated navy skirt. She felt a little silly with it all on, like she had when Sylvia dressed her up like a Greaser. Yet she was oddly attracted to the idea of looking like someone entirely different from Soc Ellie. Dressing like a Greaser, she realized, had allowed her to loosen up more than Soc Ellie would ever allow. Maybe Country Ellie would find herself riding a bull.

She pictured herself on a bucking animal for all of two seconds before being thrown to the ground and giggled. Maybe not. Maybe she'd stick to getting her boots a little muddy.

But just a little.

Having never even seen a photograph of a rodeo, Ellie had assumed it was something akin to a circus, only with horses. But instead of a big tarp and scary, bearded ladies, there was only one big arena set up under an open sky and hundreds of cowboys with these leather covers over their jeans that flapped around when they walked. There was a tall set of stands to the left of the arena with a little steel overhang to shade the hundreds of people already seated. On the opposite side, animals were being herded from trailers to pens by their owners in preparation for the show.

Ellie found Sodapop, Steve, Two-Bit, Johnny, and Ponyboy somewhere in the middle of the stands. Ellie would have thought they would look out of place with their suburban greaser attire, but the rodeo seemed like a popular event for all types of people, a good amount being soc families as well as greasers, country folk, and even a few city-types.

"Hey!" Soda hollered, waving his hand in the air to catch her attention. They had been all overly eager to meet her father when she had announced his arrival in town, and she was glad to see they had taken her request for 'best behaviour' to heart. Dressed in their cleanest, newest clothes, Ellie also felt a little bad to see them go so far to make her happy. She had honestly just meant for them to take a good shower and ease up on the hair-grease. Even Two-Bit seemed more sober than usual.

"Hi!" Ellie grinned as they moved to sit beside Ponyboy and Two-Bit. Soda, Steve and Johnny sat in the row under them and they turned their heads to say hello as she introduced them all to her father.

"It's nice meeting you." Soda, the most social of the group, stuck his hand out for a shake. "You're daughter has told us a lot about you, sir."

Her father turned to raise an eyebrow at her. "Has she now?"

Ellie rolled her eyes and nodded. "Apparently that's _all_ I talk about."

Much to her surprise, the boys and her father hit it off rather well as they waited for the rodeo to begin. She had expected some awkwardness and hostility, considering they were a group of boys hanging around his only daughter. But as soon as cars had been mentioned, they were chatting like old friends.

The competitions started with what Pony explained as the Grand Entry. The riders circled the arena, around forty in total with most of them in their twenties, riding big, muscular horses with shiny coats. Some of them were holding flags, and on the speakers, a man was listing off their names and sponsors. Dallas came out as one of the last, sitting on a long-legged, deep brown horse with a black cowboy hat dropped over his locks.

"That's Dally, right there." Two-Bit pointed him out for them all. He had been right, Dallas did look a little funny dressed in something besides the usual t-shirt.

"That's Dallas Winston." Ellie explained to her father as they waited for the competitors to finish their lap. "He jockeys and rides bulls."

"Winston, huh?" Daniel squinted down towards the dirt field. "Where's he from?"

"Here." Pony answered, "But he lived in New York for a little while. Do you know him?"

"I probably knew his father." Ellie's father replied. "Where abouts do they live?"

Pony shrugged. "Dunno. Dally doesn't live with his pops, though I hear he became a trucker a few years back."

Daniel nodded and they all stood up for 'The Star-Spangled Banner'. After that, the riders filed out of the arena and the announcers came back on to introduce the first event as calf-roping. Ellie watched with a mixture of interest and horror as baby cows were lassoed, wrestled, and tied up in a matter of seconds. Then came team-roping, where both cowboys and cowgirls teamed up in pairs to lasso a big bull's hind legs and horns to get it to fall. The events continued on with barrel racing, steer wrestling (during which Ellie was sure every participant was going to break their necks), and pole bending. In-between the competitions, trick-riders came out and did all kinds of balancing acts atop their horses. Ellie liked that the best, mostly because it reminded her of a more extreme version of the gymnastics classes she had been forced into as a child.

"Daddy," Ellie started in her sweetest voice, as a woman slid upside down on the side of her ride. "I want to do that."

"Okay." He replied, "Like you wanted to learn how to play piano, but didn't actually want to attend any of the lessons?"

"Exactly." She smiled, "Actually, maybe I just want a horse. Daddy, will you buy me a pony?"

Two-Bit nudged Ponyboy, pushing him into Ellie, and said, "He's not for sale."

"No!" Ellie laughed and nudged the boys back, "I mean a _real_ pony."

Daniel dismissed her with a chuckle.

"Dad!" Ellie pouted. "Really!"

"Fine!" He sighed, placing a hand on her head to settle her down. "How about this? You be good and keep your grades up, and I'll buy you a whole goddamn ranch with a stable full of any damn animal you want."

Ellie broke out into a grin and bounced in her seat. "Really? Do you mean it? Do you promise?"

"I promise." He said, smiling weakly. "You want a goddamn unicorn? You got it."

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek as the boys looked on in wonder.

"Did..." Soda stuttered in shock, "Did you just get your father to agree to buy you a fu- ...freakin' horse? Just by asking?"

Ellie shrugged. "How else do you get one?"

Two-Bit looked as if he had just seen God. "Just how loaded _are you_?"

Even Steve, who seemed uninterested in everything except for the events happening in the rodeo, tore himself away to ask Daniel, "Ellie says you work in sales, right?"

Her father turned to give her a funny look. "Sales? You tell people I'm in sales?"

Ellie shrugged again, her attention back on the woman standing on her horse, arms outstretched. "What? I thought that's what you do."

"Sure," He muttered after a while, "I guess I am in sales..."

Steve nodded, "Well, what _kind_ of salesman are you, because_ I_ want to afford to give my kids a goddamn ranch just 'cause they ask for it."

"First off, don't swear in front of my daughter." Though he didn't at all seem to be upset about it, "And secondly... well, it takes a lot of work to become as wealthy as I am, son. Anyone can be a... salesman. But it takes years of luck and struggle to become a _good_ one."

When the woman went back through the gate, Ellie was disappointed. She didn't care much about the other events, but she liked watching the women do tricks. But she was excited again when Soda told her they'd do bonc riding and bull riding next.

"Dally only does bull riding." Johnny explained, "'Cause it's more dangerous than bronc riding. He's gotta stay on for eight seconds to qualify."

Eight seconds didn't sound too long to Ellie, but after watching the first man, a muscled beast himself, get bucked off after one strong kick of his horse in less than two seconds, she realized it must have been harder than it looked. She watched, stunned, as men came out on horses and then bulls and came back over the gates as bags of bone. Some men even slid off their animals only to be dragged across the arena, their faces in the dirt and their foot still stuck in the stirrup. Others fell off their bulls only to be charged at, receiving a face full of horns for their troubles. By the time Dallas was announced as the next contestant, she was sick to her stomach with fear.

"Who would even think about doing this?" Ellie squealed, having spent the last five minutes with her hands on her cheeks and her mouth agape. "It's craziest thing!"

"That's the fun of it." Two-Bit told her, "I would do it if I wasn't so damn handsome. Can't risk screwing up God's gift to the world, ya' know?"

There was a chorus of groans and insults from his friends before they all hushed up to watch Dally. Already mounted on the bull inside a little pen, it was hard not to be equal parts worried and excited for him. Even from a great distance, she could see that reckless grin he had stretching across his face as he grabbed hold of the rope attached to the beast and nodded. The moment the gate was opened, the bull reared up on its hind legs and then back on it's front, kicking up so high that Ellie was sure he it was over for him.

"He's going to die!" Ellie cried, reaching over to grab her father's arm tightly, "Oh God, he's going to die!"

Beside her, Pony started to laugh and Soda turned around to pat her knee.

"He's fine, see? It's already been four seconds and he's still on."

Ellie couldn't watch it. That reckless idiot was going to snap his neck and become a vegetable. And for what? A few seconds of manly glory and a handful of cash?

The bull twisted and shook savagely, anything to flick Dallas off. Yet the boy endured, his legs pressed tight to the sides of the animal and his arm swinging freely in the air.

Pony put a hand on her shoulder as the buzzer went off. "See, he's fine. And he stayed on for all eight seconds."

Two-Bit leaned back and whistled. "That's a record for the big idiot too."

"Hey," Soda grinned and patted her knee again. "Maybe you're good luck, Ellie!"

Ellie retracted her death grip from her father's arm and took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "Why aren't you more worried about him? He could have broken his back-"

"Dally's been doing this kind of stuff for years, Ellie." Johnny told her as he watched Dallas walk back through the gates as a rodeo clown distracted the angry bull. "There's no use in worrying."

After the bulls, there were more trick riders. This time around, however, Ellie was a little disinterested, and it seemed so was everyone else. Bronc riding and bull riding seemed to have been the main attraction, and now that it was over, the crowd was slowly thinning out. They did a round of goat tying and steer daubing, where the participants were mostly younger teens, before capping it off with a race.

"They don't usually do races in rodeos." Ellie's father commented.

"Yeah," Steve replied, "But sometimes they do little races at the end of shows, not for competition, but so the companies can sort of... get the crowd interested in their horses. Sort of like a commercial. If they see the horse race and they think it has a chance at winning at a real race, they'll come along and bid on it when the time comes."

Two-Bit rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Oh, I can't wait to see Dallas in that fu- fudgin' jockey outfit. I always get a real kick outta it!"

The announcer came back on a few minutes later, after a chalk line had been made in the dirt to signify the boundaries of the race. It created an inner circle so that the horses, three in total, would run along the fence.

"This is the last game of the day, folks!" The man on the speaker said cheerfully, "A flat race of two laps! These fine horses will be racing in the next derby, so be sure to remember their names when you bet! Our first horse is a thoroughbred named Spring, owned by Slash J!"

Dallas came out then, looking no worse for wear even after his bull stunt. His competitors were small and thin, but there wasn't as much difference as Ellie thought there would be. Dallas was built averagely for a man, but his young age still allowed him to be light enough to compete.

They could hardly hear the buzzer over Two-Bit's laughter.

Spring, true to it's name, sprang forward at the sound with an immediate head-start. The other horses charged after them, one of horses managing to get head to head with it's competitor. Ellie immediately abandoned her assumption of Dally being an awful jockey. It was clear in the first few seconds that he was in fact very talented. With his body bent low and his legs bundled up high for speed, he had amazing control of the animal underneath him. She had never pictured him to be good at anything, really, except for stealing and general mayhem, but the way he rode made it clear he had practised and dedicated time towards his sport.

"He's good, isn't he?" Pony mumbled quietly to her as the rest of them watched on. He had seen her awed expression. "Jockeying's the only thing Dally's ever actually cared about, I think. And it's the only honest thing he's ever one, too."

Ellie nodded, eyes glued as Dallas hunched lower, pushing Spring to overcome the other horses on the last stretch. Even with the helmet and goggles obscuring his face, she could feel an intensity radiating from him.

"Yeah..." Ellie whispered back, "He's amazing."

The stood up and cheered along with the boys when Dally one first place.

They wandered slowly towards the dusty parking lot, chatting amiably with each other. Her father seemed to have taken a liking towards Steve and Soda, both of them excited to see his convertible. Ellie was relieved. in truth, she didn't know how he'd react to finding out most of her friends were boys. She was half expecting him to have an aneurism and be sent to a boarding school in Africa. They finally cleared out after nearly thirty minutes of car-talk, their faces two inches away from the convertible's engine as they ooh-ed and awe-ed. Her father had invited them all for dinner the next night, which meant Ellie would be spending her whole day cooking and cleaning while they drank and talked about football and hub-caps (_or whatever boys talked about_, she thought). Maybe she'd invite Sylvia, just so she wouldn't have to bare another word about cars.

"Daddy," Ellie began before he could get in the driver's seat. "Can we go and look at the horses for just a second? I want to see what kind and colour I want."

He shrugged and lit a cigarette before leading her towards the horse trailers that took up half the lot. "Sure, darling."

"You'll get me a baby, right?" She asked as they wandered around, un-bothered as they admired the horses. Most of them were thick and sturdy, made for bronc riding, but Ellie was focused more on their colours and facial shapes. She'd want a pretty horse, after all. Everything else didn't matter too much.

"A filly, darling." Daniel corrected, "But sure. You see anything you like?"

She really wanted a tall, white or black one... or even Dallas' horse, with it's coat so dark and shiny that it was_ almost_ black.

A big, burly cowboy came up to them then, his hair as red as the sun and his gut flopping over his large belt buckle. "Well, if it isn't Daniel Carter, in the fucking flesh!"

The two men hugged, patting each other roughly on the back as Ellie looked on curiously.

"Hey Slash," Daniel greeted merrily, "Haven't seen you since we were kids!" He kept his hands on Slash's shoulders, eyeing him up and down. "You look a hell of a lot different."

Slash snorted unflatteringly. "You look just the same! Though I didn't think I'd ever see you in designer clothes, you fuckin' hood."

Daniel gave his shoulder a tight squeeze and then turned towards his daughter. "James Slash, this is my daughter, Elizabeth."

Her father's friend took off his cowboy hat and tipped his head as he exclaimed, "Well howdy, little lady. You look exactly like your mother, ya' know? She was a goddamn bombshell when I knew her."

Ellie flushed and tried to smile. "Thanks. It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Ellie," Daniel waved towards the trailers, "Why don't you go on and keep looking at the horses? Let us men talk for a minute, okay little darling?"

She nodded vigorously, eager to get away.

"You ought to check out my own horse." Slash nudged his thumb towards a trailer hidden behind his large frame. "A thoroughbred. And she won the race today."

Ellie scrambled around them, smiling briefly in goodbye as she headed towards the trailer he had pointed out. Sure enough, Dallas was toiling over Spring, undoing the straps on her muzzle.

"Hi." She said, coming closer. She wanted to pet the horse but was worried she'd spook her.

"Hey." Dallas replied, raising an eyebrow at the sight of her. "You really did come, then?"

She pretended to be offended. "Of course I came! Thought I couldn't handle a bit of manure and dust?"

He stopped his ministrations to give her a good once over, a mild smile coming over him. "Huh. Well don't you look like a proper cowgirl? Did you buy a whole outfit just for this event?"

Ellie scoffed and leaned against the side of the trailer, though not before dusting the area off. "What about you? You don't look so much like a street-toughened city slicker now."

Dallas smirked as Ellie purposefully and exaggeratedly gave him her own once over. He was wearing a red, collared jacket with three white stripes on the sleeves and a black J embroidered on the back, white pants, and high black riding boots. His helmet, which had been hung by the lock of the trailer, was red with white trim. He looked very smart, if she was honest with herself, not at all like JD Dally. Maybe he liked dressing up as different people like Ellie did... maybe he needed a break from poor old Greaser Dally just like Ellie needed a break from Good-Girl Soc Ellie.

"I'm a man of many masks." Dallas drawled cryptically.

Ellie giggled and moved closer once more. "Can I pet her?"

"Why not?" Dallas moved aside and Ellie placed her hand at the horse's nose so she could take a whiff of her scent like she would with a dog. When Spring gave her hand a little nudge, Ellie braved a little pat on her snout. She was a truly beautiful animal, with a shiny coat and the tiniest speck of white between her bright eyes.

"Wow." Ellie whispered.

"Don't be so nervous." Dallas told her, grabbing her hand hastily and placing it just under Spring's mane. "Ruby is pretty friendly, as long as you don't touch her legs."

Ellie gave the animal a little scratch along her neck and turned to look at him. "Ruby?"

Dallas moved around her so he could start undoing the straps again. "She doesn't look like a Spring."

"But why Ruby?" She asked, giggling as the horse turned her head away from Dallas to give Ellie's shoulder a light nudge.

He gave up on the straps and grabbed a brush from the trailer. "Jesus, I don't know. It's a nice name. Anyway, she kind of reminds me of Ruby Curtis."

Ellie didn't have to ask who that was. Johnny had told her once that when the boys had lost their parents, Dallas had too.

"She_ does_ look like a Ruby." She agreed, laughing a little louder as Ruby's breath tickled her shoulder.

She didn't realize Dallas had been watching her until she looked up and locked eyes with him.

"Wanna ride her?" He asked.

He scoffed at the excitement on her face and grabbed a strap to lead Ruby towards a far fence with an open field behind it. Ellie glanced nervously towards Slash and her father, but they had their backs turned and were too busy catching up to notice their little escapade.

"I'm just going to go ahead and assume you're not allowed to do this?" Ellie commented as they followed the edge of the fence towards it's gate.

Pulling up the latch, Dallas winked at her before leading Ruby into the tall grass. Unconcerned about being led away, she bent her head to graze as he moved beside Ellie.

"Alright," He gestured towards the stirrup, "Put your foot there."

Ellie made a poor attempt and hiking her foot high enough and failed. "It's too high!" She complained.

Rolling his eyes, Dallas mounted the horse in one fluid, graceful movement and then stuck his hand out to her. Ellie glanced at it hesitantly, then back towards her father.

"You wanna ride a horse or you wanna stand there, getting old, gnawing your lip and wondering if your pops approves?" Dallas asked.

His grip was rough, like sandpaper, but it was strong and it took little effort to help her mount up in front of him.

"Grab hold of the saddle horn." Dally mumbled, his breath whispering through her hair and the corner of her ear. Ellie's back was flush against his chest and she could feel the muscles in his thighs flex against hers as he urged Ruby into a walk. He smelled like freshly turned soil, cigarettes, and Old Spice.

_I'm an idiot_, Ellie told herself, eyes screwed up despite the amazing view the country provided. Her heart was thumping heavily and her skin was burning up so violently she was sure her blush was moving down to her arms. And then, _God_, he draped his arm around her torso to secure her and she _actually_ gasped out loud.

His chest rumbled with laughter.

"Calm down." He slowed Ruby and dropped his chin onto her shoulder, inches away from nuzzling her neck. His ring finger hand managed to worm it's way under the hem of her button-up and was running lazy circles across the skin on her hip. "I don't bite."

She did _not_ feel like all her bones had burnt up and evaporated. She did_ not_ have to fight the urge to tilt her head around and kiss him with all the sloppy urgency she felt building up in her. And she did _not_ want him to drag her off the horse, throw her into the grass and...

"You're a corn-ball." She squealed, wincing at the sound of her voice. "And I want to go faster."

He laughed again and said, "Oh?"

Pushing Ruby into a trot, Dallas moved up a little so that his cheek was level with her temple and she could hear every deep breath he took.

"I've got to say," Ellie offered as she got used to being jostled up and down on the saddle. "You're in an awfully good mood today. I think you're actually being nice, too."

"I'm always nice to you, dumb-ass." Dally grumbled.

Ellie huffed disbelievingly. "You are _never_ nice!"

Dallas lead them across the field, drifting farther and farther away from the rodeo lot and more towards a scattering of willow trees. "I'm nicer to you than I am to most girls... even if you are a huge pain in the ass."

"Excuse me?" She dug her elbow into his rib and tried twisting around to glare at him. "Pain in the ass? I am nothing but kind and patient-"

"And overly chatty, and annoying, and clingy." He listed off, interrupting her. "And you got that stupid habit of biting your lip that drives me goddamn nuts. I swear, you gnaw on that thing like you want ta' eat it."

"I do not have that habit." Ellie protested, turning back around.

"What about you?" She went on, "You aren't Prince Perfect, either. You're rude, and stubborn, and I don't think you'd survive a day without getting into trouble."

Dallas retracted his hand to brush his fingers through his hair. He had left it ungreased so that it curled around his ears and flopped onto his forehead. And it held such a peculiar colour of blonde. Almost golden in the sunlight, and silver under the moon. He looked younger with it down, and less severe.

"That sounds like a list of _good _qualities, if you ask me."

Dallas lead Ruby through the willows, bringing the horse into a slow walk so they could weave around the trunks. He seemed so content then, letting the long, wispy branches tickle their shoulders as he soaked in the last rays of the fading sun. Sitting there in his riding outfit, there was no sign of the JD from Tulsa; no jagged edges, no cold looks, no walls. He had the same smirk on his face, yet even that had lost it's cruel touch. Ellie could almost forget to be afraid of him. But not quite.

"You did really well in the rodeo." She told him, bringing her hand out to run it along the bark of the tree. "But that bull riding nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought you were going to break your neck and die."

"Awe," Dallas cooed mockingly, "I didn't know you cared so much, Princess."

"I don't!" Ellie would have crossed her arms over her chest if it didn't mean loosing her balance. "I just didn't want to see it happen right in front of my eyes."

"You're the worst liar I've ever heard." He told her, roping his arm around her once more. "So don't even pretend like you wouldn't cry your eyes out if I got an injury."

She stuck her nose out in the air. "I'd cry tears of joy."

Dally snorted. "How come you're sweet as pie to everyone but me, huh? After all I did for you today, letting you ride my horse... And all I get is," At this point he began a horrible imitation of her voice. "You're rude and stubborn and troublesome, and I'd cry tears of joy when you're dead, Dallas Winston!"

"I like to think my voice is a little prettier than that. And... well, what do you want, a trophy for taking me on a pony ride riddled with insults and teasing?" Ellie asked, suddenly feeling less like a cage full of butterflies and a little more like an annoyed teenage girl.

At the end of the willow patch, they were elevated enough to see a few rolling hills covered in patches of green, brown, and honey, like the earth had been made out of a quilt. Ellie could understand why Dallas was so at peace; it was hard to be anything but calm and worry-free out there in the open. There were no buildings closing them off, or crowds to navigate. There was no one to impress, no rules to follow. He could take Ruby and ride and ride and ride and never come back, if he wanted. _He'd be like Peter Pan_, Ellie thought, _living forever in Neverland_. But that would have made her Wendy, because no matter how fond she was of the country, she'd have to go back to civilization eventually. That's where _she_ belonged, swallowing the rules and regulations of her middle-class life with an unfaltering smile. It was all she knew, it was all she would ever know, and truthfully, she kind of enjoyed having boundaries and expectations. If life was really a game, then she was addicted to playing it.

Ellie liked to imagine Dallas buying a farm when he was older, and having a million horses named after people like Johnny, and Soda, and Darry and even Tim Shepard. And he'd also buy Ruby, after she was retired from racing. Of course there'd probably be a horse named Dally Jr, because it's _Dallas_ and she could be he'd get a kick out of it. But maybe he'd even name one after her.

"I'd like a good roll in the hay, actually." Dallas said breezily, "But I suppose I'd settle with a trophy, as long as it's big and engraved with 'Dallas Winston, Number One Bull Rider and Panty Dropper-'"

Ellie _humph_-ed. "How about 'Dallas Winston, Number One Egotistical Idiot'?"

When the sun began to fade behind the willows, he turned them back around towards the trailer. "How about we scrap the whole trophy idea and stick to the roll in the hay?"

"Well..." Ellie propped her index finger on her lip in thought, "No, I don't think that's going to happen, sorry."

Dallas made a sound in the back of his throat, having been happily deceived by her pause. "Not even a quick one? Ya' know, I'm not used to being so nice to girls I ain't sleeping with."

She brushed her fingers through Ruby's mane, trying to overcome her discomfort towards the topic of intimacy. "Well, you're gunna have to get used to it because the only way you're going to '_drop my panties' _is if you marry me."

"Oh God." Disgruntled, Dallas didn't say anymore on the topic but pressed his heels into Ruby's side. Ellie gasped as they broke into a run, bouncing up and down on the saddle so wildly she could feel herself on the edge of falling. Wind tore at her skirt and stung at her eyes, and she could feel Dally press against her until they were both hunched over, willing his horse to go even faster. She would have yelled at him if she wasn't scared speechless.

In what seemed like only a few seconds, they were back on the other side of the tall grass field, edging along the fence in an easy trot. Dally's chest was heaving with laughter, but Ellie could only pry her tense fingers from around the saddle horn and pray for the strength not to cry. All the calmness of the country had left her and all she felt was as if she had woken up at the peak of a rollercoaster.

"You're an evil, evil boy." She ground out, feeling pain ripple on her thighs and bum where the hard leather had smacked against her. "And now you are definitely never getting a roll in the hay."

"You ought to be careful now." Dallas said, dropping his chin onto her shoulder again, a rueful smirk falling into place. "Your old man's noticed your absence."

Sure enough, James Slash and her Daniel Carter were leaning up against the fence, waiting for them. Slash looked more annoyed than mad; Ellie got the impression Dallas ran off with his horse regularly. Her father was a different matter. He had a cigarette dangling from his teeth and his arms crossed over his chest. His face was expressionless. Yet it revealed quite enough to Ellie- she was in a world of trouble.

Dallas lead the horse back behind the fence, stopping her in the same area she had occupied before.

"Thanks for the ride." Ellie said sullenly as they watched the two men come marching over.

"Thanks for the view of your cleavage." Dallas replied, and Ellie looked down to see that he did, in fact, have a great view of her heaving breasts.

Her father offered his hand and helped her dismount without a word.

"You goddamn idiot!" Slash growled, storming up to Dallas as he got off the horse as well. He gave him a few licks of hit cowboy hat and said, "What did I tell you about going off with my horse? Now I'm an hour behind schedule!"

Ellie spoke up beside her father, "It was my fault, sir. I forced him to teach me how to ride."

Slash's eyes darted from her face to her father's, and then back at her. He eased himself into a smile. "That's sweet o' you, little lady, but it's a crock of shit. Dallas has never done anything he hasn't wanted to do."

She deflated and cast her eyes down to her boots. There was a line of mud coating the bottom, two inches thick. She had gotten a little muddy after all.

"Dallas Winston." Her father drawled, pulling the cigarette from his mouth. "That's your name?"

Stubborn as always, Dally steeled himself with an aloof glare. "Yeah."

There was a moment of silence during which the two men sized each other up. Ellie's father was a sturdy man in his forties. He had grey in his chocolate comb-over, as well as crow's feet sprouting from the corners of his silver eyes. Though he looked expensively casual in a sports jacket and slacks, there was an intelligent and authoritative way about him that suggested he would look better in a business suit. Regardless, he surveyed the boy with an easy, confident smile. Dallas, on the other hand, looked like he always did- a wild beast with it's back to the wall.

"We're throwing a little dinner tomorrow night!" Ellie stepped up between them with an uneasy grin. "You two should come. I'm sure daddy would love to continue catching up with you, Mister Slash. And Dallas, all the boys are coming."

Dallas shrugged non-committally and turned away so he could tend to Ruby.

"Well, sure I'll come!" Slash brushed his thinning hair back, dropping his hat back on. "You aught to see if you can find any one else from back in the day, Daniel. Then we can have a little reunion, eh?"

"I'll see what I can do." Ellie's father nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder as he began steering his daughter away. "I'll see ya' tomorrow, Slash."

"See ya, Danny-boy! Nice meeting you, little cowgirl!"

Ellie turned a little so she could wave goodbye, but Dallas had his back to her and Slash J was already disappearing behind the trailer.

Nothing was said until they were halfway back to Tulsa.

"So, what do you think of my friends?" Ellie asked tentatively, trying to break the code in his expression. He was mad, she knew that much, but how mad?

Still, it took a little while longer for her father to reply. He was always making people wait for him to speak; he liked watching them squirm.

"They're nice boys, Elizabeth." He admitted.

Antsy, she took the bow from the bottom of her braid and began to unravel it. "But you don't approve?"

"No," He replied more quickly, "I approve of them... most of them. That Winston boy, however..."

With the wind whipping at her blouse and now free flowing hair, Ellie tipped her head back and closed her eyes. It was only seven in the evening, yet she felt so tired.

"Daddy, he's harmless. I've been here for months and no one, not even him, has made any indication that they wanted anything more from me than friendship. So don't worry about it."

Daniel flicked his bud into the air and it soared out behind them to hit the pavement. "I'm not worried. I trust you to be responsible and mature, Ellie. Why do you think I sent you out here alone? All I'm saying is, I don't like you hanging around a boy chaperoned."

When Ellie's father said he didn't like something, he really meant that he forbade it.

He shifted gears as they cruised into the highway. "I missed the days when I could convince you boys had cooties, darling."

* * *

**Mostly fluff, hahaha... Was that enough romance to hold you off for a week? I'm kinda picking up the pace here, so there'll be more s_exual seduction_ in the next chapter... But yeahhh... kinda don't know what to say... not sure if I like this chapter or not because I don't really know how well i'm writing these romantic scenes... do you guys get the chemistry vibe or are you all kinda like... ehhhhh?**

**Please review and tell me how I'm doing! Was this scene romantic enough? Was it too cheesy? Was it okay? Was it great? Was it awful? I would really love some feedback!**

**Also, thank you everyone for your reviews, and your favourites and follows! Glad to see there's so many people reading, even if you aren't reviewing!**


	10. Howling For You

"Grandma's taking a nap for a few hours. She asked to be woken at three, before the guests arrive." Ellie said, brushing a tear away from her eye. She had spent all morning cleaning the house, attacking every little dust bunny and bit of grime she could spot with her eagle eye. It took her best convincing skills just to get her father to mow the lawn and set up a few seats on the balcony. How many people he had managed to invite, she had no idea, but he had been on and off the telephone all night and morning, so it was to be assumed they would have a full house. She didn't mind so much, or at least, she was used to it. If there was one thing the Carters enjoyed, it was large social events. Maybe the company they expected weren't exactly the usual Chicago elites, nor would they care much about the state of her living room, but Ellie tidied the house and cooked the meals to the best of her ability anyway.

She had done pretty well until the onions had been brought out.

"You need help little darling?" Her father asked. After his slapdash performance of mowing (that took an hour longer because he kept getting distracted by the dogs) he had parked himself at the breakfast table, a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. She wished he wouldn't smoke in the house; it was stinking up the furniture.

Ellie put a hand on her hip and gave him a look over her shoulder, wielding a knife in her free fingers. "When's the last time you cooked dinner for people? I let you touch anything in this kitchen and we'll be eating the foam that comes out of the fire extinguisher."

Daniel got up and put out his cigarette in the kitchen sink before dropping the bud in the trash. "Baby darling, I feel like you've developed an attitude ever since you left."

"Daddy dearest," Ellie replied, wiping another onion tear from her eye. "That's what you get for abandoning your precious, vulnerable daughter in some backwater town to fend for herself."

He reached over and plucked up a raw piece of carrot that she had just finished cutting up. Then he grabbed the knife from her hands and ushered her to the side. "Kiddo, I really am sorry you got thrown out like that. But you would have been a little bit more prepared if your mother hadn't coddled you so much. You know, you and your brother were supposed to spend your summers out here with your uncle Sam, before he died. But your mama couldn't let you kids out of her sight for more than three hours."

Ellie thought back to her last night in Chicago. The whole day had been as usual as ever. She woke up, went to school, went shoe shopping with her mother, and then dinner with the family at Daddy's favourite restaurant downtown. She could even remember how annoyed her brother was with her that evening, when she kept stealing sips of his coke. Everything was fine... until her mother shook her awake around midnight. While they gathered her clothing into suitcases, it was explained that her father was going through some financial problems, and that Ellie would be shipped off with her grandmother to some little city called Tulsa, two states away. Still half asleep, she had been given an impromptu driving lesson from her brother and then sent on her way, granny snoozing and two dogs slobbering onto Ellie's shoulder. She had cried for most of the night, scared and confused and feeling utterly alone despite the company. But eventually her tears had run out and turned into anger. Anger at her parents for abandoning her. Angry for their cryptic reasons. Angry that they had sheltered her like a caged bird for so long and then expected her to know how to fly.

Her emotional state didn't help her driving, either. Half the time she was too scared to go past ten kilometers per hour, and at every intersection she'd manage to _just_ scrape by without getting T-boned.

She wasn't mad anymore, however. Somewhere between Quincy and Moberly, with the sun back in the sky, shining brightly through the car windows, her anger had faded and was replaced with her usual optimism. She'd get to meet new people! She'd get to have a new room and new furniture! The only adult she'd have to listen to was her grandmother, who probably wouldn't have cared if she set the house on fire! This would be like a vacation for Ellie. She'd relax, enjoy herself, and before she knew it, she'd be back home just in time for her friend's birthday party. Of course, that hadn't happened and her stay had dragged on... yet she found herself homesick less and less each day. Regardless, Chicago was where she felt she belonged, but Tulsa was (on the bright side) new and exciting, and she was determined to make her stay worthwhile.

Her silence seemed to have given him the wrong impression.

"Ellie darling," He sighed, sliding the knife into the counter. Ellie couldn't help but notice the bags under his eyes and the tiredness to his tone. Taking his time to wash his hands and dry them on a kitchen towel, his usually serious face was intensified by it's grimness. He gestured for her to approach and she did.

"Ellie, my darling girl." He sighed, cupping her face like he often did when he wanted her full attention. "You've always been very special to your mother and I, do you know that? It seemed to impossible for us to create such a perfect, innocent child. Your brother was a hellion, like we expected all our children to be, but you were as quiet and gentle as a mouse."

His eyes were glazed over as he thought back to those long ago days. It was not often her father spoke with such emotion and it made Ellie surprised... yet weary.

Petting her hair, he continued on, "I'd never seen a girl like you, Elizabeth. You were so trusting and joyful. There was not a drop of bad in you... in such a world where everything seemed so rough, you were untainted. And we were determined to make sure you stayed that way. I could argue that it worked; you're still as pure and loving as the day you were born... but we also coddled you far too much and it made you naïve. It was a bad choice to throw you into Tulsa. It's not a kind city, not to girls like you. Tulsa can change a person. But it was the only choice we had."

"Dad..." Ellie murmured, her silvery eyes wide with sentiment. "I'm not mad. I don't blame you..."

He shook his head. "Darling... I think I'm going to have to explain a few things about our family to you."

He lead her to a door on the main floor, between the living room and powder room. She had only gone inside once to clean it and had left it bare since. It was one of the worst rooms in the house; there was gaudy, peeling wallpaper on the walls and a few of the floor boards had been ripped out. Ellie coughed a little when they swung the door open and entered, unsettling the dust. It was still in the same shape she had left it, except for a few duffle bags tucked away in the cleanest corner.

"This was my old room." He explained, passing a hand over the cowboy themed wall. "Had it since I was born."

"Wow..." Ellie replied, unsure of what exactly he wanted from her.

He let out a little chuckle at the tone of her voice and turned back to her with a little smile. "Well, I guess we'll just get right to the point."

Ellie watched curiously as her father moved over to the duffle bags and heaved one into his arms.

He placed it at her feet and commanded, "Open it."

She made a face at him. "You do it! I feel like you put a bunch of spiders in it, or something..."

"Why would I do that?" He sighed, closing his eyes and pressing two digits into his temple. "Just do as I saw, Ellie darling."

She let out her own loud, exaggerated sigh and bent down. It was just a regular black duffle bag. She had seen her father drag them on the first day of his visit, late at night. She had just assumed it was his travelling luggage.

Now they looked a little menacing...

"No spiders, right?" Ellie asked, blinking up at him.

"No spiders." Her father nodded.

Ellie reached out to grab the slider between her fingers and it was cool to the touch. What amazing thing could possibly be in the bag? Why was it so important to her dad? And what did it have to do with her family? This was it. This was the moment that she would finally know why she had been sent off. This was the moment where everything she had ever wondered about her father and brother, with their hushed, midnight conversations and random business trips... She had always known her family was hiding _something_ from her, but she had never really known how to ask and assumed it would all be clear once she was older... and now was the time.

The zipper's teeth unhooked smoothly as she ran the slider down the length of the bag.

"Before you were born, Ellie, I moved the family from Tulsa to Chicago..." Her father went on, "One of my reasons was because I didn't want my children to grow up in the same waste hole I had to grow up in. Another was because I had far too many memories lingering in this house. But the most important reason was because Tulsa was not big enough of a city to house the dreams I had."

She glanced up once more, her finger curled under one of the bag's flaps, ready to pull it back and reveal the object that had shaped her life for the past few months.

"Dream?" Ellie inquired, staring up at him with wide eyes. "What do you mean, daddy?"

He fixed her with that serious, knowing expression and nodded towards the bag. "Open it."

She could feel something smooth and hard grazing the skin of her fingers. Slowly peeling back the flap, she saw a glint of metallic...

There was a heavy knock on the front door. Ellie shrieked with surprise, with fear, and with confusion. She bolted up and stumbled back a few steps, away from the bag and her father. Suddenly her hands felt dirty and she didn't know quite where to put them.

"Dad..." She whispered, "Was that... was that-,"

Hurriedly, he bent down and closed the bag.

"Go get the door." He demanded coolly, "We'll talk later."

Ellie couldn't move. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her face was as white as snow. She needed to know _right then_, not later. This wasn't something she could ignore or forget about until it was convenient. _Why?_ She thought to herself. There were other questions as well, like who, and when, and where, but really she just needed to know _why_.

"Dad-,"

Calm as ever, he straightened up, cupped her face in his hands once more, and looked sternly but gently into her eyes. "Ellie, go greet your friends, have a good time, keep your mouth shut about it, and we'll talk later. Do you understand me?"

Ellie nodded numbly. "Yes?"

He lead her back into the hall, turning around to lock the door. "Go answer the door, darling."

* * *

Dallas was kind-of relieved when Ellie let them in instead of her father. It wasn't because he was scared of him, or anything. He _wasn't_. But the truth was, he kind of hated adults. They were always giving him this look, like he was some monster that came up from the sewers. And the ones who didn't give him that look were giving him a_ different_ look, one he hated much more. Most of them just thought he was some stupid hood that didn't know one plus one... and well, on his bad days, that might have been true... but that didn't give them the right to treat him like dirt. The only adults that hadn't ever given him that look was Darry's parents. Ellie's father, however, definitely gave him that look, and much more.

Eventually he ended up sitting on the back porch with Darry, watching Soda and Pony throw around a football beside Ellie's feeble little garden plot. The girl herself was sitting at the patio table set up on the grass, learning how to play black jack with Two-Bit, and Steve. They were gambling with potato chips, and with just a glance at the table Dally could tell Ellie was kicking their asses. He didn't know if the boys were just letting her win, or if she was just really good at card games... but it was probably the former, considering Two-Bit's winning streak. Steve was pretty good at gambling, if he was in the right mood, but Two-Bit just didn't know how to control his excitement when he had a good card.

Some of their parents were there. Steve's father, who'd been perpetually angry ever since Steve's mom skipped town, was sitting on a lawn chair at the opposite end of the yard, somehow managing to look pissed and humorous at the same time while he conversed with Slash. Steve took after him in the temperament department, unfortunately, but no one ever told him that. It's tough luck, how kids always got the worst traits from their parents.

Two-Bit's mother was there as well. She was a pretty tuff woman. The Mathews family was a good example on how kids didn't always end up like they're parents, 'cause she was always pretty happy and cheerful, but she worked hard and never touched a drink. Penny worked and hardly drank, sure, and Two-Bit got her humor, but if he wasn't drunk by the time he got to school, he was a grumpy, slobbering idiot and he couldn't even find the motivation to pass classes let alone keep a job. Dally never knew Two-Bit's father, but he could bet he was a drunk too. Every father was a drunk in Tulsa.

She was standing next to Ellie's dad, who was flipping burgers on the grill. Dallas wasn't going to stick around long enough to eat. Without even having to make eye-contact with the Carter patriarch, Dally could tell he wasn't welcome. He didn't give a shit; this whole set-up was too middle-class suburban for him anyway. He'd probably go back to Bucks and get drunk. Maybe he's drag Two-Bit with him.

"He's talking about you." Darry informed him before taking a swig of his beer. The only redeeming quality about Ellie's dad was that he didn't give a shit if they drank. "He keeps glancing over and saying shit to Two-Bit's mom. What did you do to piss him off so much, anyway?"

Dallas shrugged. "He thinks I'm fucking his daughter, probably."

"Are you?" Darry asked with an expression of extreme exhaustion.

Dallas inwardly groaned. Of course he wasn't boning Ellie. No one, not even him, could get passed that fortified wall of chastity. Especially with daddy dearest looming over her like a bear. Anyway, Sylvia was waiting for him on his bed last night after the rodeo, and it wasn't as if he was going to say _no_, so... if there was anyone he was boning, it wasn't Princess Ellie. Whether he wanted to or not, he didn't really know... It wasn't as if he was picky. That wasn't the case at all. Hell, Ellie would have been a catch compared to half the girls he'd hooked up with over the years, but she just didn't seem... worth all the hassle. He'd have to take her to fifty dates just to hold her hand, goddamn it. So why bother when he could just settle for easy Sylvia?

"Maybe later." Dallas joked, but his friend didn't laugh along with him. Darry hardly ever laughed anymore. He'd become such a buzz kill, Dally was sort of glad he hardly went out with the boys these days. All he did was grumble and yell at Ponyboy. It wasn't his fault, really; with his parents gone, someone needed to step up. It was just too bad. Darry used to be such a riot if he was drunk enough.

Darry got up and stretched, eyeing his brothers locations habitually. "Gunna go get another beer. You want one?"

Dally shook his head and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Nah."

There was a shrill ring of the doorbell as Darry disappeared into the house in search of the fridge. Ellie got up immediately to answer it, flashing her father an odd look as she passed. She had been doing it rather frequently that evening, but Dally didn't bother wondering why. He just wanted to relax today; he didn't even feel like getting into trouble. Something in the summer air was making him calm. Maybe it was the smell of barbeque in the air, or the way everyone in the yard seemed so at peace.

Feeling as if he might fall asleep if he sat there any longer, Dallas finished off his drink and got up. He ignored Steve's wave of invitation to join their game, despite how much he kicked ass at black jack. He didn't very much feel like sitting at a table with Ellie.

The actual building of her house was kind of dingy, with peeling paint on the outside and floorboards that creaked and sagged at every step. But her furniture was brand new and it smelled like fresh apple pie inside. Ellie was going to be the perfect wife, that was for sure. He had been watching her run around all day, cooking and cleaning and socializing without one complaint. Two-Bit practically had to drag her to the patio table and leave the cooking to her grandmother. Even then, she had been running off to refill empty drinks and grab more snacks.

"-Confused! He told me he'd talk to me later, but I can't stop thinking about it!"

Her voice floated by him as he entered the main hall. Ellie and Johnny were sitting side by side on her rickety stairs, heads bent together like two gossiping hens. He must have been the one at the door.

"What-chu kids giggling about?" Dally asked, stopping to rough up Johnny's moppy hair.

Ellie shot Johnny a frantic, wide-eyed look and the young boy, after a moment of hesitation, muttered, "Nothing."

"Nothing my asshole." Dally said, pulling out the smoke he had perched behind his ear and sticking it between his lips. They were talking about a boy, he assumed. Probably that Soc football player. "You got asked on a date or something?"

Her face reddened. "No! A-and don't smoke in here! You have to go outside for that."

Dallas pulled out his cigarette and scowled. She had such a whiney voice sometimes. And she was the worst goddamn liar he'd ever met. He hated those types of people. If you were going to lie, do it well or not at all.

"Whatever." He grumbled, moving on. What did he care if she got asked on a date or not? That Soc kid, Brian or whatever, was probably just going to take her to the drive-in, find out she doesn't put out, and then ditch her. At least maybe then she'd take the hint and stop being naïve enough to think any boy wanted anything from her but sex.

He spotted Darry in the kitchen, but he didn't go in. The room was colored soft yellow, with blasts of white and black on the tiles and counter. The afternoon sun was drifting in from a huge window above a little wooden breakfast table. Ellie's father, Daniel, approached the oldest boy with a friendly, yet calculating smile. The man had this annoying, authoritative personality to him, sort of like a police man or a judge. It made Dallas feel like a bad little kid getting told off, even if he wasn't speaking.

"You look like your father." Daniel stated, passing Darry a beer.

Darry took a little sip and turned to look out the window. Parents were still a touchy subject for all the Curtis boys. "You knew him?"

Daniel nodded. "Him and your mother... and you, when you were just a baby. They got married a little over a year before I left. You must have been only a few months old. The same age as my own son."

"Yeah?"

The man made a confirmative noise in the back of his throat, absentmindedly running his finger over the lip of his beer bottle. "I spent almost two weeks trying to convince your old man to come to Chicago with me. A lot of us boys were going, but not him. I'll never know why, but he loved this city."

Daniel leaned back in his chair, finally catching Darry's attention enough for him to look over.

Darry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Dallas almost snorted from his hideout by the door... Darryl Curtis was truly a man of little words.

Ellie's father chuckled a little. "Yeah. He was adamant about raising you here, where he said it would be safer. I thought he was an idiot at the time, to be honest. We had the opportunity to become rich men in Chicago, and there's nothing in the world that's more protecting than wealth! He could have given you everything... or at least, the same as I can give Ellie."

Darry and Dallas were both confused. What was this man's motive? They couldn't tell if he was just trying to shoot the bull, reminisce about the past, or tell Darry how stupid his father had been.

Daniel didn't seem to bothered at Darry's lack of response either way. He went on with a bitter little laugh. "Turns out_ I_ was the idiot. Luck is what you need, not money. And it seems as if I've run out of luck."

The man let out a long sigh and sat up. "But enough of that. You probably already know, but I wanted to tell you how admirable your father was. A smart man, a great leader, a loyal friend, and a fucking amazing bowler, he was. And your mother... damn, no one ever messed with your mother. She told you to do something, and you did it. But she was also the kindest woman that's ever come out of this shit town. She took care of _everyone_."

There was a raw honesty in his voice that Dallas hadn't expected to hear. He must have been rather close to the couple if he really felt so strongly about them.

Darry nodded slowly. "My father never told me about... almost going to Chicago."

"No..." Daniel snorted, "You wouldn't have heard very much about me or anything that has to do with me. Lets just say, every story your father and I shared wouldn't exactly inspire a kid to stay on the right path. I was always dragging him into trouble... and he was always keeping me out of it."

"That sounds like him." Darry forced out. It was easy to tell he was having trouble keeping his emotions in check. The man was tearing the band aid off a ripe wound.

Daniel seemed to sense it. He got up and checked on the food cooking in the oven to give the boy a moment of peace. When he turned back around, Darry had his usual cold, dumb expression plastered on his face.

"Listen, Darryl." He went on more seriously. He dropped a hand on Darry's shoulder and squeezed softly. "I'm truly sorry about your loss. It's a hard thing to experience, and it's even harder when you have to take care of your brothers. I know your father would be proud, son, just to see you surviving every day."

Darry nodded again, his eyes drilling holes into the table.

"If you ever need anything..." Daniel patted his shoulder and released him. "Just let me know. I'll give you my contact infor-"

Abruptly, Darry placed his drink on the table and stood up, forcing Daniel to step back.

"Thank you sir." He said icily, "But we're not a charity-,"

Daniel laughed a little and shrugged. "No? Good. I don't give money to charity, anyway. But you need money, don't you? So I'll let you earn it. How would you like to get sixty dollars a month?"

Dally could see Darryl swallow at the sound of Daniel's words. Sixty dollars... that was more than what he made as a roofer...

The silence that had ensued between the men was cut short by Ellie's distant giggle. She and Johnny were still gossiping on the stairs, it seemed. Darry glanced towards the noise and finally spotted Dally. They look at each other only briefly, but it was all Dally needed to understand what Darry was thinking. What kind of job would hash out sixty dollars and why _him_?

"To do what?" Darry asked suspiciously, adding, "I don't have time for another job."

The older man laughed again and patted Darry roughly on the back. "Don't look so worried! It's nothing hard."

Darry picked up his beer and took a swig. "Well... what is it?"

"You boys take care of each other, don't you?" Daniel seemed to be changing the subject all together. He paced around the kitchen, his head held up thoughtfully like an enquiring lawyer. "Your father and I used to take care of each other... all us kids did... if you were from this side of the tracks, you were apart of a _family_. Some of us were more distant relatives than others, and sometimes we fought, but we were there for each other when it mattered... I wonder, is it still like that?"

The young man took his time to answer. "Sure. Sure it is.. we watch each other's backs."

Ellie's boisterous laugh cut into the moment once more and the three men paused to listen to the sound. It seemed to fit in so well in the cheerful kitchen.

"Right, like a family." Daniel nodded slowly. "You watch over each other. You keep each other safe. Just like your father and I did. Now, what I need from you, son, is to take care of my daughter like your father took care of me."

Darry squinted at the man in confusion. "You want... me to... take care of your daughter?"

"Not like you take care of your brothers." Daniel explained, "No, Ellie can provide for herself."

"Then what do you want me to do? No offence, sir, but I'm not really into stalking girls around for their fathers."

Daniel shook his head adamantly. "No, no, that's not what I want. I'm just asking you to make sure she's always safe and sound, that's all. No following, no snooping into her life. God knows she's had enough of that with her mother. Just.. imagine her as your cousin. If she needs help, help her. If she's in trouble, get her out of it." He paused, taking a resolute step towards him. "And most importantly, son... I want you to maim any boy that so much as looks at her funny, do you understand?"

Both Dallas and Darry made faces that would have been humorous if Daniel hadn't been so dead serious.

"That's it?" Darry asked, "You just want me to babysit her from afar? Isn't that a bit excessive?"

Daniel stared at him. "You've met my daughter, Darryl. I love her to death and she's a goddamn angel sent from God. But she's utterly clueless and as streetwise as a new-born puppy. Can you really blame me for worrying about her? Anyway, I'm a man with means, and if I have to pay this whole damn city to keep her safe, I will. So what do you say?"

The oldest Curtis shrugged and nodded. "I'd do a hell of a lot more for sixty bucks."

Daniel raised his beer in cheers. "Glad to hear it."

Dally wanted to laugh. That was it? Darry was getting sixty a month just to keep tabs on his neighbor and keep her out of trouble? Hell, Dally could do that! Darry was hardly ever around, anyway, and was the least close to Ellie out of all of the boys. Lucky bastard was getting sixty bucks for nothing.

Daniel patted Darry on the back once more, called him a good kid, and headed towards the door. Dally shot back before he could be seen, running down the hallway. He had planned on sitting down beside Ellie and Johnny, pretending he had been there all along, but they were gone when he got to the steps. His gaze flashed to the rest of the hallway. Maybe he could make it to the back door? No, Daniel's footsteps were getting closer and there was no time... Without a second thought, Dallas darted up the stairs as quietly as he could, which was not very quiet at all. It was only when he was tucked safely in the upstairs hallway did he realize he had actually run away from a confrontation.

"I'm a fucking chicken." He whispered to himself, running a hand through his hair. Now he was just pissed at himself. Why did he care if Daniel saw him? He wasn't doing anything wrong! It was just... it was that stupid, annoying look Ellie's father gave him. He wasn't some stupid waste of space. He wasn't, no matter what people thought of him.

Opening the first door in hopes it was a bathroom, Dallas was met with a shock of girlishness. Baby blues and creamy whites decorated a little room, eliminated by an abundance of natural light. Across a dresser, a big periwinkle bed covered in pillows and a fluffy duvet was pushed off to the side, as soft as marshmallows.

Ellie was perched atop it, her hands tangled together on her lap. Her hair was in it's naturally wavy state, tamed down by two low pigtails. Any other girl would have been worried about looking childish, but it's playfulness suited Ellie.

"Hey." Dallas said casually, trying to pretend it wasn't weird to be barging into her room without so much as a knock.

"Hey?" Ellie blinked over at him, "Are... you looking for the washroom?"

Dally waved his hand in the air non-committedly. "Nah."

Under Ellie's questioning stare, he moved further into the room to snoop around at the little cosmetic bottles and jewelry laid around her room.

"So what are you doing up here?" Ellie asked after a beat.

He picked up a tiny figurine of Snow White on Ellie's vanity. "I could ask you the same question. What kind of host mopes in her room while her guests entertain themselves?"

"I'm not _moping_." She insisted, standing up to take the figurine away from him and return it to it's designated area.

"It looked like moping when I opened the door." Dallas commented disinterestedly, moving on to other nick-knacks.

She sighed dramatically and went back to her bed, falling belly-up into the cloudy blankets. "I'm not moping!" She insisted, "I'm thinking!"

"Well," Dallas teased with a smirk, "Don't think too hard there, Princess. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

Ellie propped herself up on her elbows and pouted. "Har-har-har. Why _are_ you up here anyway? Missed me in the ten minutes I've been gone?"

"You goddamn wish." Dallas grumbled, rolling a diamond ring in between his fingers. It was real, and he was seriously contemplating lifting it. "I was just... trying to get away from the crowd for a second."

"You're so anti-social." Ellie stated, curling into her covers.

"Says the girl who left her party to be alone in her room."

She giggled lazily. "Touché."

_Fuck it_, Dallas thought, slipping the ring onto his pinky. She wouldn't miss it, anyway.

Dallas moved to leave. It was never a good idea to linger at the scene of the crime. He'd grab another beer, say goodbye to all the boys, and make a quick but unsuspicious get-away.

"Wait!" Ellie called as he got to the door. She sat up and eyed him shyly, eyes darting from him to her hands. "Wait... can I ask you a question?"

Dallas rolled his eyes and groaned. "What? And stop lookin' at me like that, idiot."

She pouted.

"And not like that either." He added, dipping his hand into his back pocket and twisting the ring off so that it sat inside and out of sight. "What do you want?"

"It's kind of a personal question." She told him as he collapsed beside her on the bed, closing his eyes. The fluffiness of the covers didn't disappoint.

"Just ask and I'll see if I feel like answering it."

She took so long to spit it out that by the time she did, he was already half gone.

"What was your father like?" She asked nervously. "Did you know him very well?"

"He was a piece of shit." Dallas answered immediately and without doubt. Now he _really_ wanted a cigarette. "Why ya' ask?"

"I was just thinking about my own dad." Ellie explained from beside him. Her voice was closer and softer than he imagined it would be. She was usually talking in such a shrill, up-beat voice... it was sort of spooky to hear her so mellow.

"What about him? He seems alright. Like every other middle-class father."

There was a rustling of fabric as she dragged a pillow over and tenderly lifted his head so she could shimmy it underneath.

"What are you doing?" Dallas wondered, cracking a single eye open.

She licked her lips apprehensively and he couldn't help but notice a faint freckle dotting just above the corner on her upper lip. He always wondered how girls could keep their lips so smooth and soft while his was perpetually rough.

"You look tired all the time." She told him, "I thought you could use a nap."

Dallas shook his head but didn't make any attempt to get up. "Nah. I'm fine. Buck had a party last night and it was too noisy, that's all."

He shut his eyes again, telling himself that he'd only stay for a couple more minutes. Her bed was fucking soft and her room was so.. pristine... if he concentrated, he could pretend he was high above in the sky, lounging on a cloud. He was so relaxed, in fact, that Ellie's light brushing of his hair hardly registered in his mind. Hardly.

"What are you doing now, you idiot?" He made to sigh with annoyance, but it came out as a pleasurable groan. Her hand was so cool on his forehead, and her fingers running across his scalp was relieving a headache he hadn't even noticed he had.

"Nothing." Ellie vowed innocently, "Your hair's just so pretty. I couldn't help myself."

"S'not pretty." Dallas tried to argue without an ounce of passion. "S'manly."

"Okay." Ellie allowed, "Go to sleep."

"Hm." Dally wavered for a moment. "Why where you thinking about your father?"

"No reason." He could hear her change positions so that she had her head propped up with one arm and the other playing with his locks. "No reason..."

"Fuckin' awful." He muttered languidly, "Fuckin' awful liar. How does anyone even fuckin' lie so badly?"

"Fine." Ellie grumbled, running a digit over the tip of his ear. Dallas hissed at the thrill erupting in the pit of his stomach. That stupid girl... if she continued like that, he wouldn't know whether to fall asleep or... do other things. Why was he always finding himself in these kinds of situations with her, anyway? Why couldn't they just leave each other alone? She wasn't anyone to him; it should be easier for them to live their separate lives. _Sylvia_ was supposed to be the girl letting him sleep on her bed while she caressed his most sensitive spots. Yet he knew it would be different with the other girl. With Ellie, it was soft and easy. Her touches could mean everything or nothing at all. She had no request or demand... it was simply a moment of affection between them. Completely unexpected and -if he hadn't been so lethargic and comfy- unsought, but also oddly comforting and... electric. With Sylvia, however, he couldn't picture a moment like this. They fooled around, they fucked, fought, and went their separate ways for a while. There was no sentiment to it. If she disappeared and never came back tomorrow, would he care? Maybe not. People like her went in and out of his life like leaves in the wind.

"I guess I'm kind of scared about my dad right now." Ellie admitted, retreating from his ear so she could smooth all his hair away from his forehead. "There's a lot he's been keeping from me and I don't know if I even really want to find out what those things are."

"You'll be fine." Dallas told her distractedly, fighting off the instinct to throw his arm around her waist and just give in to the preening that was sending him to sleep. "Girls like you will always be fine."

He must have said the right words, because her mood lifted significantly afterwards.

"Thanks Dallas." She giggled, scratching his scalp with more energy. "I think I ought to get back to the party now. God knows the pie is burnt. You can stay up here and sleep for as long as you like."

Dallas wanted to tell her to shut up and lie back down. The moment her touch left him, he felt as if the whole appeal of a nap had died.

"Fuck the stupid party." He growled, forcing himself to sit up. He hadn't noticed it before, but the room was getting uncomfortably hot and the only thing keeping him complacent was Ellie's cold palm.

"You really are so anti-social." Ellie smiled, reaching up one last time so that she could place his hair back to the state she had found it in.

When she moved to get up, Dallas surprised both of them by grabbing her wrist. It was so thin and delicate, he noticed. He could snap it with very little effort. He'd have to remember to watch his strength around her.

"Ellie." He croaked pathetically.

She looked at him, confused.

"Ellie..." He tried again, "Get me a beer from downstairs, will you?"

Her laugh started out as a chuckle and escalated into howling in a matter of seconds.

"Yes, okay." She nibbled on her lip to keep her mirth in check. "Okay."

Dallas let her pull her hand away and stared inquisitively when she willingly moved it to the side of his neck. Then, as if she was scared he'd shrug her off if she wasn't quick enough, she dropped a chaste kiss on the skin under his eye and scampered out of the room like a mischievous fox running off with it's prize.

_Fuck._

How fucking _dare_ she? Did she even know what she was doing? That little bitch probably thought she was being friendly. Yeah, okay, it was just a kiss on the cheek, but a kiss was a kiss and if she was going to kiss him then she better be willing to go further because... because _fuck_ that! Dallas Winston was not someone you could just casually kiss! He didn't play around with girls! He met them, screwed them, and then contemplated screwing them in the future! She needed to be all in or not at all, goddamn it!

She wasn't worth the hassle, he tried to remind himself. So why was he sitting there, hungering for her to come back so he could finish what she had unintentionally started?

He was not getting any motherfucking sleep tonight. And it was all that damn Soc's fault.

* * *

Ellie tried to keep her mind on the task of cleaning up as the little barbecue wrapped up. The house wasn't very dirty, but there was plastic plates and beer bottles littering her backyard, living room, and kitchen. Despite the smell of yeast stinking up her house, she didn't regret having everyone over. It was pleasant to meet Two-Bit's mother, who had ooh-ed and awe-ed at her every word. And seeing the boys and her father get along so well was heartening. Nothing would be worse than letting her family think she was being reckless and immature, forcing them to spend their days worrying over their daughter. She was fine, and now that her father knew that, he would be able to concentrate on his business troubles.

"This place is a pigs sty." Her grandmother complained from her station at the sink. Ellie was grateful she was helping, but she was doing such a sloppy job of washing dishes that Ellie knew she'd just have to redo them tomorrow.

"I'm sorry grandma," Ellie said with as much sympathy as she could muster. "You can just head up to bed now, if you like."

She had never seen the old woman head out of a room so fast. "I oughta!" The old lady huffed as she disappeared down the hall. "Been slaving away all day for people I don't even know! Strangers! And boring ones at that!"

Just as Ellie moved to finish up the dishes, her father came in with a few beer bottles in his arms,

"Just leave the rest for tomorrow, darling." He insisted, easing his load onto the table. "It's getting late."

Ellie wrung her hands on a dish rag, trying to decipher whether she was mad at him or simply worried to death. Picking at a loose thread, she said, "So, are you going to tell me why you brought a bag of guns to visit your daughter?"

Her father sighed. It was so late in the night, nearly twelve, and they were both delirious with fatigue. Nonetheless, she knew she would take hours to fall asleep without knowing the truth, good or -more likely- bad.

"Are you some kind of hired assassin?" She asked, only half joking. She couldn't really be sure about anything anymore. He could be a Nazi, for all she knew.

Daniel snorted dryly. "No. You always did have such an active imagination."

"Daddy." Ellie persisted, twisting the rag in her hands so roughly she swore she was getting calluses. "What are the guns for?"

The man shook his head and approached his daughter. For a brief second, she almost flinched away. But no. Just because he had been harboring secrets didn't mean he was a totally different person. He was still her loving, protective father. He was still the man that had taught her how to ride a bike and kissed her scrapes when she fell.

"The guns are for killing, Ellie darling." He told her gently, "That's what all guns are for."

She was so _confused_. Was he a murderer, then?

Without warning, a steely expression overcame his face. Gripping her face in his hands, he bound her gaze to his.

"Ellie, think." He insisted, using a tone of voice she had only ever heard him use on her brother. "You know what I do. You know what the family business is. We're in sales, yes. But what kind of sales? Think. Why do we have a stone wall a foot thick around our home? Why do we have guard dogs? Where do you think your brother and I go all the time? Why do you think we have so many lawyers? Why do you think you keep finding drugs stashed around the house? Why do you think I sent you and your mother away? Think, darling. Open your eyes and use your head."

Ellie swallowed, frozen under his intensity. What did he want from her? "I don't know! I don't know!"

"Think! Use your head!" he repeated more vigorously. "Why were you not allowed to go out alone? Why did we have so many get-togethers? Who were all those strange people coming in and out of the house?"

"I think-!" Ellie tore herself away, falling backwards onto the counter. "I don't know! Daddy, you're scaring me!"

Daniel closed his eyes and collapsed onto a chair beside the table, burying his face in his hands.

"My beautiful, ignorant baby girl." He barked, "Your father's been running a drug-ring since before you were born."

Ellie, cowering by stove, watched her father as her heartbeat began to slow again. "Really? Really, dad?"

"Yes, darling." He stated painfully, exposing his face again. "But not for very longer. You see, your father and brother are about a step away from being charged with possession, distribution of drugs, and, if they get a hold of these guns, murder."

* * *

**I am really really really really really really really sorry for being a week late. Seriously. You guys are reviewing so well and I'm getting so many favs and follows, and I'm a piece of shit for not updating, because you all deserve it. But the truth is, I'm fucking swamped. I have school, I have exams, I have work... there is no way i'll be able to write any more chapters in a week. So, as much as it breaks my heart that i can't just pump these chaps out and spend all my time writing, I'm going to have to cut down the chapter producing by... ugh okay its three am here I have no idea what i'm on about I just wrote this whole damn chapter so basically i'm telling you please be patient with me because I have to fucking sleep in order to function.**

**Basically I'm telling you that i'll post my next chap as soon as I can but it's not going to be by next week, and i'm sorry, but have mercy. I'm trying. **

**Also I apologize for this shit-show of a chapter I'm not actually sure what I wrote so good luck and goodnight and yeah.**

**review and shit please**

**love you guys so much. Don't leave me. Don't leave Ellie. ;(**


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